Try And Try Again
by sammidixon
Summary: When Daryl realizes that Beth starts to offer herself more to the group's services and their chemistry becomes apparent to the both of them, they soon realize that their relationship is not something that comes easy. But they will try and try again to make it work. **Rating for possible descriptive romantic scenes as well as violence.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own these main characters, nor their beginning stories. Just a Walking Dead playing out how I wanted the series to go :)

A/N: I do NOT have a Beta yet for this story, so it's just me editing myself. Which can always be interesting. Please be kind, yet constructive! Enjoy!

Chapter 1:

I would be lying if I said that I hadn't noticed him before. How could I not? The prison itself was pretty close quarters, and then with the addition of the Woodbury folk, I felt like I got to know everyone a lot more than I had planned.

But he seemed to still keep his distance. I don't know how, but he was just a shadow. One of the outsiders. Always there with Rick, or murmuring with Carol but other than that, he escaped somewhere that put him away from the crowd. I wanted to know that place, because that would mean privacy. Quiet. Stillness. Just him and I. Maybe then we could actually have a conversation that was longer than six sentences.

Until then, I would just continue watching him from the corner of my eye every time he made his appearances. I could see his angel wings like they were the light of God, pick them out of a crowd of one million, easy.

I went by Rick's cell at seven in the morning, and lightly knocked on the bars in mock courtesy. I tucked my hands behind my back and smiled softly as Rick laughed.

"Mornin', Beth. Ready to be my life saver again today?" He said as he lifted Judith out of her make shift bassinet, kissing her head softly.

"Always, Rick. She's what makes my day interestin'." I reach for Judith and whisper into her small tuft of hair. "Isn't that right, sweet baby?"

Rick crossed his arms and smirked at our interaction. I saw his eyes flash behind me to the front of his cell and I turned slightly to acknowledge whoever it was. I felt my torso tighten at the sight of him, leaning against the cell door, readjusting his crossbow over his shoulder.

"Mornin', Daryl." I said to him, a little quieter than I had aimed for. He nodded slightly but then walked up to Judith and offered his finger to her greedy fist.

"Hi there Lil' Ass Kicker. Keep it under control today." He murmured, like it was a conversation literally between him and Judith only. The attention he gave her was undoubtedly part of why I couldn't keep my eyes off of him when he was around with her. "Ready, Rick?" He took back his finger and looked up to Rick.

"Sure am," Rick responded quickly and reached down to put his belt on and fit his pistol into the holster. "'Preciate it, Beth."

"Of course." I responded, hoping that my speaking again would bring Daryl's eyes towards me but they didn't. He was headed out of the cell with Rick following after him. They turned the corner and were gone. I sighed and bounced Judith on my hip and walked out after them.

A little while later I was playing with Judith next to Carl under an overhang out in the courtyard, as I bounced her on my knee I heard a shout.

"Beth, do you mind helping us out down here?" I heard Sasha yell out, I glanced up to her voice and saw that she was needing help down by the fence. They had a slightly build up of walkers so I handed Judith off with Carl who was sitting next to me reading a comic.

"I can go help them, you can stay with Judith." Carl stated, puffing his chest a little and setting his comic down. But he still reached for his sister as he said it.

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it." I smiled. "I can help Sasha out, no problem." I pulled the knife from my boot and headed towards Sasha.

I never liked it. The killing part. There was no confusion as to whether they were human lives anymore. That's not what bothered me. It was the actual shoving a weapon into a human body skull that still bothered me. Or even shooting them in the face, a little less full frontal contact. There was always a small bump that appeared the moment before killing at the bottom of my throat and it went away afterwards. I tried extremely hard to make sure there was no hesitation in my actions, though. I was already trying to break out from Maggie's shadow, and I know Daddy sure didn't help by still treating me like his baby girl. I couldn't let anyone realize that I was weak in this way, I had to be able to work for the group.

After there was a pile of walkers, I wiped my knife blade on the grass and stuck back in my boot. I waved to Sasha and headed back up to the overhang where Carl and Judith had been left. However, when I looked up there they were both gone and I stopped walking. Confused as to where to go look for them, I decided not to. I had full faith in Carl to take care of Judith, I was sure that he must have just taken her indoors away from the heat to play with her. I wandered the courtyard for a bit, making casual conversation with some people who were out and about.

I laid down on the picnic table and stretched out, it was mid afternoon and the sun felt good on my skin. I took a deep breath and before I knew it I was deep in a nap. I felt a jab in my arm and opened my eyes quickly, my arms instinctively covering my face.

"Where's the beach, sleepin' beauty." Daryl growled, standing over me. I felt my cheeks blush as I stared up at him. My eyes squinted in sun and I raised my hand to cover the sun. Daryl shifted his body and then my whole face was in the shade.

"Thanks." I murmured to him and let my arms fall. I peeked up at him again and smirked, he was still staring at me, not saying a word. "Daryl?"

"Hm?"

"Do ya need somethin'?" I couldn't help but smirk because I knew he wasn't going to like getting caught in a conversation. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight, he revealed a pillow case that clearly had things shoved in it.

"I got some stuff. Fer Lil' Ass Kicker, I mean." He added the last part quickly after the first sentence, as if to make sure I wasn't to confuse who the gifts were for. I sat up and scooted over on the picnic table, giving him space to sit down. Instead, he set the bag down for me to inspect. I quickly skirted through the bag, seeing some beaten up stuffed animals and even a bib that had a sun with a face on it.

"This is real nice, Daryl. Where'd ya find it?"

"The run earlier this week, I kept fergettin' to give it to ya. Didn't want to be draggin' it around the whole damn prison trying to track ya down." He crossed his arms, and his brow furrowed.

"You're the one who disappears, not me." I quip at him, but feel my mouth turn up in a teasing way. "Never even see ya anymore unless Rick's 'round."

"Humph. Well, the point is that she's got some new things fer herself. I already ran the bib and toys under hot water. They been air dryin' and should be good as they're gonna get." He walked off before I could make a comment on his thoughtfulness.

I watched him walk away, watched the wings swish slightly back and forth on his back. He walked into the prison, probably to disappear for awhile. I shook my head and smiled at the thought. I grabbed the bag of goodies for Judith and set off to find the Grimes children. Maybe Judith wasn't gonna be the only thing that kept my days interesting anymore…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Beth heard the scuffle long before they came into view. She was carrying logs up to the prison with Carol and Maggie when the yells became more distinct.

"The hell is goin' on?" Maggie asked no one in particular.

"Sounds like a fight." Carol murmured in return. We all three picked up the pace to get up to the prison courtyard faster. As we rounded the edge and made it on flat ground we could see what was playing out.

Two men were face to face, no punches were being thrown but it looked like the few moments before an all out brawl broke out.

"Daryl!" Carol hissed, once one of the men were identified. The other was one who had been from Woodbury. He was a heavier set man, not obese but he was not trim and muscled like Daryl was.

"You best start backin' those words up with some action, then!" Daryl snarled at the man. The space between them got smaller and I could tell it was only a few seconds before someone swung their arm. The man seemed just as heated up and I didn't trust him around Daryl, even though I knew Daryl could very well handle himself I didn't want to see him get hurt and I doubted that other man would go down without any damage.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Rick was in the middle of the two. He had his back to Daryl, putting his focus on the newcomer.

"Now, look, Tim, let's go ahead and take a walk for a second. We don't want to make a scene here and no one wants to end up hurt."

"Which will be you if you don't start pulling all that weight o' yers!" Daryl softly shouted behind Rick.

"Daryl - " Rick warned but was caught off.

"Get that damn redneck out of my face." Tim seethed between closed teeth. His eyes were steeled on Daryl still and he didn't seem to even notice Rick's hands strongly pushing against his shoulders.

"Oh? Now yer gonna do somethin'? Why don't ya start with patrol. Or maybe kitchen. Or hell, those girls are bringin' up some firewood. Think ya could handle that, Mr. CEO?" Daryl got closer to the man and Rick turned so he could face both men.

I was starting to put the pieces together on how the fight started up. This man, Tim, who I had only barely noticed walking around wasn't offering much service to the group and Daryl was never one for dodging work. Especially when we took all these people into our home and provided them with shelter and food.

I'm not sure where the urge came from, but I suddenly walked up to the group of men. I kept my eyes alert to make sure I could see any twinge of an arm about to swing but I headed straight for Daryl. I was coming from behind and therefore he couldn't see me coming up to him, I didn't say anything but instead just reached out my hand and touched his shoulder.

He quickly moved away and looked down at me. I tried to keep his eye contact, to make him realize that he needed to stop this before it got out of hand. He glared at me for a few moments and I saw his jaw clench and unclench. He whipped back around and pointed his finger at Tim.

"Start earnin' your keep. We ain't got no use fer 'administration' here. Roll up yer sleeves or roll outta here." With that, Daryl stalked away up the stairs and through a doorway. Again, I wondered where he would disappear for the next few hours or so.

"Come on, Tim. Why don't we talk about all this like grown men and figure somethin' out." Rick said calmly, Tim paused for a moment but then relented and followed Rick inside through another door Daryl hadn't used.

I picked up my firewood and we dropped it off at the pile we had been slowly saving up. It was still steamy hot outside. If I had to guess it was around August or September and we still had a ways before it got cold. But we knew that not preparing beforehand would only open the door for unexpected problems to arise.

Woodbury had fallen just a few months ago, so the transition was still fresh. But we had our system and it was working pretty well. We always had someone in the guard tower, and there was always two people in charge of watching the fence. We had a runner group that went out for supplies every time we started running low on something. Daryl was always in that group, as was Michonne.

I wanted to start volunteering to go out more, now that Judith was getting a little bigger, I trusted others aside from Rick and Carol to watch her. Tyreese, especially, seemed to be interested in babysitting more and I was more than happy. I didn't have any doubts about Judith's safety if she was with Tyreese.

A few days passed and I decided to let Rick know that I wanted to start going out on runs so that he could start scheduling me in for them. I left Judith with Carol and Carl in the library room and went to find Rick. I checked the courtyard and an office he liked to use, but to no avail. I asked around and a lot of people shook their heads. I decided to check his cell, wondering if he wanted some privacy.

I knocked on the bars again and turned the corner to see if he was in there, I smiled when I saw him sitting with his elbows on his knees on his bed and then felt the tightening in my stomach when I saw Daryl leaning up against the wall across from Rick.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt." I said, gauging the room to see if I needed to leave or if the conversation was over.

"No, you're fine, Beth. What did ya need?" Rick asked, in his fatherly voice.

"Was just leavin' anyways." Daryl grunted as he pushed himself off the wall and started towards the door.

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders as Daryl passed me, I spoke.

"I wanna start goin' out on runs. I think that's another way I can help out 'round here." I said, strong and determined. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daryl freeze and stopped his exiting.

"Oh, well, Beth.." Rick started, staring at me with a little confusion. "Why do ya wanna start that?"

"I want to help out those that have to leave. I think I can help, so why not help." I assured Rick, very aware that Daryl was still in the room.

"Well, I suppose I can't stop ya but do you really think you might not enjoy taking on somethin' else here in the prison maybe?" Rick tried to persuade softly. As I opened my mouth to respond I was interrupted.

"Ya ain't got no experience." Daryl's gruff voice was now next to me looking down at me, I glared up refusing to be intimidated by his stance. "Rick, she ain't never gone on a run. She wouldn't know what ta' do."

"It's called learnin', Daryl. I think I can keep up." I responded, crossing my arms over my chest. He was trying his best to scare me, intimidate me. But I knew I wanted to do this. Maggie did it a lot and I wanted to start being more than a babysitter.

"Well, he's right Beth." Rick, playing mediator, spoke up and stood to face us both. "Ya never been on a run and ya really don't have a lot of experience with weapons. It would be pretty dangerous sendin' you out there cold like that." I turned my glare on Rick for a moment.

"Like I said, I'm willin' to learn. I'm quick and fast. I won't get left behind and I won't be in anyone's ways. Plus, I'm pretty good at puzzle solving which can come in handy when things don't go to plan." It was my best case, and I was hoping they would take it. Rick seemed torn, probably because he too saw me as a daughter, not a fighter. But I think I was winning him over. I looked up at Daryl and he was wearing a smirk.

"Ya even asked yer daddy 'bout this yet?" He murmured. And with that, he found the chink in my armor.

He was right, I hadn't asked Daddy yet. I didn't think that was going to be a very good conversation either. But I had decided to get Rick's okay first and then use that as arsenal for my conversation with my father. Daryl took my silence for the truth it was and laughed shortly.

"I can't okay anything before your dad is fine with it. I can't overstep him like that, Beth." Rick said, his resolve strong now. Daryl had given him an out, and I was furious.

"I'm sure he'll understand." I tried. Daryl laughed his short laugh again.

"I can go ask him real quick." Was all he said before exiting the cell.

I paused for a moment, not really putting it together that Daryl was this interested in it all to go track my father down and make sure my chances of going out were nonexistent. I looked at Rick with confusion.

"Better hurry, ya' know he's gonna play the safety card." Rick murmured before leaving his cell in the opposite direction.

I ran after Daryl, in the direction I had seen him leave in. Now it was a race to see who could find my father first, and I didn't like my chances.

Ten minutes later and I finally found him sitting at a table in a quiet part of the prison. Unfortunately, he wasn't alone. I skidded to a stop when I saw the gruff redneck sitting across from him at the table.

"Dammit." I whispered under my breath. Daryl smirked at me, like he heard my frustration but Daddy simply turned a little towards me.

"Hi there, Bethy. Why don't you come join us, sounds like there's a decision to be made." His soft and sure voice didn't give any indication as to where he stood with it all yet. I walked over to them and sat next to Daddy and across from Daryl.

"Daddy, look, I want to help out in other ways startin' now. I think I can be useful on runs. You let Maggie do it." I didn't want to use the last sentence, it made me sound more childish than I was trying to come across as but I didn't want him playing a double standard between his daughters.

"I get it, sweetie." My father started and I bored my eyes into his trying to see where this was going to end. "But Daryl does have a smart point that needs to be addressed. You've never worked much with weapons and that is a major component with goin' out on runs."

"I've worked the fence several times, I know where and how to kill 'em. I have experience with that." I argued.

"That ain't half o' it." Daryl growled, his hands were clasped on the table and he was staring right into me. "When you go out on runs, there ain't no fences between you and them. In fact, it's usually surprise and ya' only got a few seconds to react. Not at all like lining 'em up on a fence and killin' 'em through a barrier." I pressed my lips into a hard line. I couldn't understand why he was so steadfast against this. Why he was trying so hard.

"I think I have an idea." Daddy offered and my eyes shifted to his quickly when I heard that he didn't automatically shoot my idea down. "Daryl, would you mind helpin' Beth out and showin' her the best way to keep herself safe." I bit my lower lip, my eyes widened slightly. This wasn't what I expected at all.

"She stays here. That's how she stays safe." Daryl responded, staring right at Daddy. But he only defied for a few beats and then huffed. "I'll show her."

Daddy smiled and reached out his hand to shake with Daryl. "Thank you, Daryl. If she's gonna learn from anyone I would rather it be you." Daryl stood and shook his hand. Then he stalked out of the room.

"Daddy, I can do this. I know I can." I whispered softly, still trying to wrap my head around the agreement that just happened.

"I have full faith, baby girl." He responded as he put his arm around my shoulder and squeezed. "But you have to admit, you need more experience. So if your end game is goin' out on runs then this is how ya' get there."

I nodded solemnly. "Yes, Daddy. I understand." I kissed his cheek and left him be. I wondered out into the courtyard just in time to see Daryl leaving the compound on his motorcycle. I crossed my arms and watched him disappear.

This was going to be an interesting ride for sure.

A/N: Thanks for reading, please leave reviews if you like what you're reading! That will ensure that I continue to publish this story instead of just keeping it to myself!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you all for favoriting/reviewing/following this story! I'm happy to know that there are others enjoying this besides myself. I wanted to make a note here on my character development: **

**I have Beth here taking on a more confident role than she might have had during this time period when they were all still in the prison. I decided to add more to her story in the prison time than they gave her on the actual series and I'm having her grow. I think this is how she will be slightly different in future scenes that are pulled from the show that I use. **

**Please note, I do have this story rated M due to the references and possible future scenes. This chapter does have "sexual innuendos" and I want my readers to be mindful of the rating. As well as some good Dixon cursing. **

**Without further ado, please enjoy and leave reviews! I want to know what you like and what you don't like about how this is playing out!**

* * *

Chapter 3:

"Oh, you can't be serious." Maggie's voice echoed in my cell and I crossed my arms in response.

"I want to go out on runs. Don't baby me." I snapped back at her and laid down on my bunk as Maggie came over and sat on the edge of the mattress.

"Why do you want to? It's not glamorous. It's so unpredictable. The people who go out, go out because they have to. Not because it's some fun trip." Her tone had lightened a little in an effort not to offend and rile me up. It didn't work too well.

"Maggie, I can do more than babysit Judith all day, every day. I can do more! And I think I can be helpful on runs. I think I have somethin' to offer." I stared at the ceiling as I recited the reasons I had recited to everyone who kept hearing I was changing my duties at the prison.

"I can't believe Daddy signed off on this. He's off his rocker." Maggie giggled and I couldn't help but reciprocate the sound. We broke into a fit that had us both holding our stomachs and curled up on my bed, it came to the point that I could't even remember why we started laughing but just that we couldn't stop.

Eventually we quieted down and I could see Maggie take a deep breath in and stare up at the ceiling like I was.

"So, you're gonna work with Daryl then?" She asked, but kept her eyes straight up.

"Mhmm." I hummed in response, my thoughts turning to Daryl's image. He didn't even have to be in the room and I could feel my pulse quicken slightly.

"Think you can handle him?" Maggie asked again and I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Well he's pretty rough, not very personable. I just don't want him hurtin' your feelins' or anythin'." She looked at me and smiled easily.

"I wouldn't worry 'bout it, Mags." I used her childhood nickname and pinched her shoulder lightly. "I can hand back the same medicine he dishes out. I have an older sister to thank for teaching me that." Maggie laughed as she rose from my bed and kicked my foot out of the way playfully.

"You're so welcome. Thank goodness you have me in your life. I'm gonna go find Glenn before my patrol time. See ya later, Bethy." She waved goodbye and headed out my cell. But just a few seconds passed and I heard her in the hallway.

"Oh hey, Daryl." I freeze, listening for their footsteps and trying to figure out if she passed him on his way to my cell. I didn't hear a response from him but I assumed he just nodded like his normal greeting. I kept my eyes trained on the ceiling and pretended like I didn't have any warning of him approaching. He may very well not even be coming to my cell, I shouldn't be so excited about something as trivial as this. And just as I convinced myself to calm down I heard someone clear their throat at the door. I raised my head and swallowed the knot that appeared instantly in my throat.

"Hi." I mumbled out and sat up in bed. His form was rigid, like he didn't want to be in the situation he was in. He stood about a foot outside of my cell, and didn't look like he wanted to come any closer. Which turned out to be fine with me, suddenly I felt the atmosphere become very stuffy and I was extremely conscious of the fact that Daryl Dixon was only about 5 feet away from my bed with me in it.

"Wanna work today?" He grumbled out, and shoved his hands in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. He was clearly uncomfortable and I wondered if it had anything to do with the intimacy that my "bedroom" held. I nodded quickly and hopped up, anxious to get away from this awkward scene.

I followed Daryl outside, to a not so commonly used area of the grass where we would have plenty of space. I was excited, my heart beat quickly and I was ready to learn everything I needed to know to be an asset to our group's safety.

"First thing's first, ever shot a gun before?" He didn't look at me as he said it, instead he started rummaging through a gym bag that he had brought with us. I was sure it was filled with plenty of weapons that I was supposed to learn to wield. I crossed my arms in slight offense to his question.

"O' course." I quipped.

"Beyond a 3 foot radius?" He quipped back and I grew quiet. He smirked slightly and then let it fall just as quickly as it appeared. "Alright then, take this and I'm gonna to set up some targets." He handed me a silver handgun that reminded me of the guns used in the old western movies Daddy made us watch every Sunday. Daryl came back to me a few minutes later and I looked up to see four different targets about 30 feet away from where we stood. I raised the handgun and aimed at one of the targets.

"Don't shoot that." He murmured, much closer to me than I thought he was. I took a quick breath and looked at him in confusion.

"I thought that's why we're here."

"Nah, I just wanted you to feel the weight on it. We ain't gonna make a lot of gunfire noise right now, walker activity been pretty high right 'round our perimeter. That's a Smith &amp; Wesson revolver. You may be shootin' that when you start goin' on runs."

"So what am I shootin' then?"

"This 'un." He responded handing me another handgun that had an extremely long barrel on it, so long that it looked goofy to me. "That's a silencer. Won't make the loud noise, and you can practice hittin' those targets."

The weight was different between the two, the second one being heavier and I didn't like having to aim with the silencer because it made it more forward heavy. But I raised it and took aim at a beat up garbage can lid.

"Relax your shoulders." Daryl murmured. His soft volume wasn't helping me focus on the task at hand and I swallowed again. I took a deep breath and let my shoulders fall slightly. "Good, now spread yer' leg—I mean widen yer' stance a little more." I pressed my lips into a hard line and tried so hard to not focus on that last sentence. He moved away from me, clearly uncomfortable again and stood about 10 feet away, crossing his arms. "Shoot." He commanded and I zeroed in.

One more deep breath and on the exhale I squeezed the trigger. The only noise, and the only confirmation of how my shot turned out, was the satisfying ting the bullet made against the garbage lid.

"I hit it!" I yelled, excitedly and jumped up a little. Daryl's eyebrows lifted slightly but that was his only reaction.

"Now aim for somethin' that ain't so big." Was all he said, I furrowed my brow in response to his cold sentence and raised the gun again. This time I set my sights on a plastic water bottle that had been marked with a red X. I glanced at Daryl and he was squinting at me. "You ain't gonna hit that on your first try. I meant for somethin' a little smaller than the lid." I turned my eyes back on the bottle and sent a silent prayer, asking for excellent aim. Mainly to surprise Daryl. Again, I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger on my exhale.

The bottle jumped back and I immediately felt a smile creeping onto my face. I saw Daryl move in my peripheral and I looked over at him. He wasn't looking at me, instead he was stalking towards where the bottle had been. I watched as he went and found the bottle and picked it up.

"Shit, Beth." He murmured, but I could hear it slightly. I quickly walked over to him and peered at the bottle. He was running his thumb over the hole the bullet had made. Which was only about an inch away from the center of the 'X'. My smile grew on my face again and I looked up at Daryl, hoping this time I would get a positive comment on my work.

"Well?" I asked, smiling up at him. He glanced down at me, and then shockingly, he bumped his shoulder into mine and turned around, walking away.

"Looks like we'll move onto somethin' other than gun work." I followed after him, happy that I proved myself to him enough to make him almost speechless.

...

Weeks followed and I worked with Daryl for at least an hour each day. He still showed me the best ways to hold, carry and run with the guns. He realized where I kept my knife and then wanted to see me use it. He only made a handful of negative comments and then grew silent. I was getting better, and I couldn't wait before he finally gave me the green light to go out and help the group that was going on a run within the next few days.

"I think I'm ready." I told Daryl one day, as we're packing up and finishing a lesson. He scoffed and stood tall next to me.

"Ya barely been practicin' for a month." I had been practicing with him for almost two months now, but I didn't think that was the appropriate battle to fight at this moment.

"Daryl, I'm good. I can handle it. And no one has ever had to go through Dixon trainin' before goin' out, so I've been a good sport about havin' to wait and do all this." His eyes flamed and for a moment I was actually worried about mouthing off.

"Ya think yer ready? Ya think that if Maggie was pinned underneath a walker that you could shoot it from across the room in the head without killin' her? How 'bout protectin' yerself? Gotta be sure that when ya leave, ya come back to yer family right?"

I could feel my eyes squint up at him and had to stop my body from shaking slightly. His face held no remorse as he stared at me, then he grabbed the bag and walked away. I watched as he went all the way up to the courtyard and indoors. I sat down on the grass, and slammed my fist into the ground in frustration. I had finally witnessed the Dixon anger. And it had been fully directed at me. I let myself shed one tear and took a deep breath. He shook me up, but I was determined to not let him get away with this. I wasn't going to shrink away.

...

A few days passed and I didn't see Daryl. I had caught a few glimpses but nothing more than seeing him across the room, and once he realized I was in the same room, he left. We weren't doing the lessons anymore and I just became more and more irritated. Rick stopped me once when I was leaving the cafeteria and pulled me to the side.

"Beth, Daryl talked to me yesterday. He told me that you could be a part of the group that's going on a run tomorrow. Do you feel okay to do that? Please don't feel pressured." He searched my face for some kind of an answer, since I was basically speechless.

"Daryl said that?" I managed to whisper out. Rick nodded and folded his arms.

"He said you were a natural with firearms and that there wasn't any reason for him to continue doin' lessons with ya." I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away from Rick, trying to get some meaning from Daryl's mixed signals. "Beth? Feel up to it?" Rick brought my attention back. I looked up to him, with determination in my eyes.

"Yes. Absolutely."

"Alright, like I said, we're goin' out tomorrow. Early morning, we'll meet then." I nodded and Rick walked over to sit by Carl, who was feeding Judith.

The next morning I woke and dressed quietly for the day. I laced my boots tight and slipped my knife into it's position. I headed down to the courtyard and saw Rick, Michonne and Sasha milling around.

"Mornin' Beth," Sasha said with a genuine smile and handed me a pistol, I holstered it and tried not to think about the implications it carried.

"Is this it?" I asked the three and Rick answered.

"No, Daryl went to get somethin' and then we'll head out. We're gonna take a car so we'll all ride together. There's a strip mall a ways away that hasn't been breached yet. We think. Figured maybe today we could change that." I nodded and kept my eyes searching for Daryl. He appeared and headed towards the group, and everyone together moved towards the vehicle. Daryl silently opened the hatch and climbed in the very back without seats. Rick drove with Michonne next to him and Sasha and I sat in the middle seats. I avoided Daryl, refusing to give him any looks. I was still angry with him and how he had handled our situation. I didn't expect him to reach out, but that sure as hell didn't mean I had to.

We arrived at the strip mall and everything was eerily quiet. No walkers were wandering around outside but that didn't seem to ease the tension in the slightest.

"We go in all together, stay alert, work with the group." Rick commanded and everyone raised their weapons as we moved towards the entrance. Rick was in the front, with Daryl behind and to his right. Then it went Sasha and me and then Michonne covered the rear.

It was actually anti-climactic, there was nothing coming out at us when we first entered and the more we looked, the more it seemed that maybe this had been cleared already before by someone else. Rick and Daryl were exchanging hand signals to determine where they should go next. Our group started to expand a little, with the lack of obvious threat everyone seemed to relax a bit.

I moved towards an aisle that had an old sign labeling it "Hygiene". I saw that the shelves were ransacked but not everything had been taken. I reached around for my sack and started putting in what I thought everyone could use. Bars of soap, hair brushes, and toothpaste even. My hand paused as I noticed a few boxes left of condoms. I stared at the boxes and wondered if it would be stupid for me to grab. Not that I necessarily needed them, but I would rather bring them back so that they were available to whoever needed them. As much as a blessing Judith was, I was in full favor of preventing pregnancy. Especially at the moment when we weren't in an extremely secure place. Life on the run was not conducive to having multiple babies in tow. And with that thought, I grabbed a few boxes.

As I slipped them into my sack, I heard the groan. My face drained of color and I whipped around just in time to press my back against the aisle and avoid the chomping jaws of the decrepit shell of a human. I repressed my scream, already worried that there were more following this first one. I started grasping for my knife down in my boot, I had set my pistol down on the shelf a few feet away when I started ransacking. I had my forearm bracing the walker under it's chin as it's arms swung around trying to grasp a piece of me.

"Dammit, come on…" I desperately cried to myself, trying to reach down to my knife. The walker was using gravity and slowly pressing me down into a crouching position. "Shit, stop! Stop!" I pleaded with it, even though I knew it was all for nothing. I couldn't believe I was going to die on my first run. How ironic, after all my pushing. And my "training". I felt a tear slip down my cheek and I told myself to keep it off of me as long as I could bare it. Suddenly, the weight was unbearable but the struggling was over, it didn't move anymore. I glanced up at the face and that's when I saw the arrow sticking out the side of its skull. I gasped.

Within seconds, the monster was pushed off of me and Daryl was hovering over me, in a protective stance. There was almost zero space between us and I could only stare at him. His eyes were crazed, looking all over me.

"Beth? Beth! Fuckin' talk to me." I didn't respond and his hands were suddenly all over me, running down my arms, tilting my head to feel my neck. "Were ya bit, dammit? Why aren't ya talking to me?"

And then, as odd as it seemed, I let out a humorless breathy laugh that was short. "Because you were mean to me, and I couldn't understand you." I whispered and Daryl's eyes squinted.

"Tha hell are you sayin'?" His disposition was changing now that he was starting to believe that I wasn't hurt.

"You asked why I wasn't talkin' to ya. It's because you have been confusing with your words and actions." A little clarity hit Daryl's eyes and then they flashed with anger.

"You gotta be _fuckin_' kiddin' me." I winced at his language, it wasn't necessary. "You just about died and yer gonna talk 'bout how I been actin' 'round ya?" He stood up abruptly and yanked my right arm so I stood up quickly too. I winced at the roughness, and whipped my shoulder back away from him.

"I'm aware I almost died. I was here for it." I spat at him. He raised his arms almost like he was gonna hit me and then ran them through his hair and held onto his head.

"God dammit, Beth. GOD DAMMIT. What is wrong with you? You fuckin' stupid? You tryin' to screw this up?" I felt my anger swell in me and before I knew it, I was reacting. I shoved him away from me.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that, Daryl Dixon. Don't! All I was tryin' to do was get stuff for everyone back at the prison! It snuck up on me!" Our voices were hushed screams, he gritted his teeth and grabbed the sack I had.

"So you almost died for what? Soap? Toothpaste? Or - " He stopped talking and I closed my eyes in embarrassment. I knew what he found. "This is just the fuck end of it all, isn't it." He took the box of condoms and threw them down the aisle. I flinched when I heard them hit the shelves and knocked some things down. "Hope you're havin' great sex, Beth. Hope it's fuckin' worth it." Then he left me. And I was alone in the aisle. I stared at where he had been just a few seconds ago, replaying the scene. Then I decided to start picking up the soap and things he had ripped out of my bag. I left the condoms in the aisle and went back to the group.

We left the strip mall, no one spoke during the car ride back. It seemed that Rick, Michonne and Sasha had moved onto another area of the mall but Daryl had stayed behind to catch me up when he had heard the commotion of the walker on me. They didn't know anything happened and I was completely okay with it.

I couldn't look at Daryl. He was shoved as far away from me as possible in the back hatch, pressing himself against the back hatch door. I stared at my hands in my lap. My cheeks felt like they were still beet red and I kept beating myself up inside. Despite it all, I wanted to talk to Daryl. I hated awkward situations, and we had established one of the most awkward situations I could have ever dreamed of. If I could talk to him maybe I could clear things up.

We got through the gate to the prison and when Rick put the car in park, everyone got out and I hurried around to be the one to let Daryl out the back. I opened the hatch and he glared at me for a moment before hopping out and pushing past me.

"Daryl, wait can we - " I asked but then got cut off as quickly as I got started.

"Out of my way, Beth." He growled but I chased after him.

"Daryl, please. I wanna fix this." I begged him but he kept going straight ahead. "Daryl!" I shouted at him, quietly enough so that I didn't bring attention to us. Daryl whipped around and towered over me. I could almost feel the anger rolling off of him in waves.

"Beth, screw anyone you want. I don't give a shit what you do or who you do. Leave me out o' it." And with that he turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him when he disappeared into the prison. I was speechless and didn't know how to decipher any of that.

Did he think that I had grabbed the condoms for me? And why was he so angry over it? I sat down on the cement steps, replaying our whole day's interactions. I wanted to go find him and explain everything. I'm not sure why, but I wanted him to know that I wasn't sleeping with anyone. I needed him to know that. But he was beyond angry and I told myself I would wait for it to blow over for a few days before I tried cornering him again.

My cheeks warmed when I thought about how much our relationship had jumped now. Before, we barely spoke about anything past what the group was doing or needed and now he referenced my sex life and I was going to talk to him about it. Or the lack of it, more accurately. I couldn't understand after getting so angry at him, pushing him away from me, there was a small part of me that craved seeing him again.

I could fix this. If he would sit still long enough to listen to me, I could fix this. Hopefully.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thank you to all of you reading/favoriting/reviewing this story! You're what keeps me writing and publishing :) I'm so sorry about the delay in the timeline of this chapter, I'm a student and classes started back up again for the spring semester. Crazy time! My goal is to upload at least every 2 weeks with a new chapter, if I get it done beforehand I'll upload it, but look for an upload approximately twice a month. Thanks again to you all reading, here's to you!

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Chapter 4:

It was rare that I actually thought before acting. Daddy had long said that I had Momma's quick temper. But with Daryl, I decided to wait. After the initial embarrassment and anger had worn off, which may have taken a few days or so, I decided that I would talk to him when I had the chance. I wasn't going to set out after him, nor was I going to go out of my way to fix this between him and I. If he was going to jump to conclusions about me, then he could go right ahead. There was still a small percentage of me that was angry with how he had talked to me and I wasn't about to forget it. One day, I was going to make him confront his actions and talk to me. But I had long decided to wait and see if maybe he would be the one to make the first move back to apologizing. I laughed at the possibility. I wasn't going to hold my breath.

"C'mon, Beth. We gotta help Daddy, he's gonna set that leg on Jason in a bit." Maggie spoke quickly as she passed my cell, I was slipping on my boots and ran to catch up to her. We went down the stairs and into the make shift "hospital room" that had the big table with Jason propped up on it.

"Let's go girls, I'm sure Jason would like this to be over as soon as possible." Hershel waved his daughters over to the table.

"You're right, doc. This isn't really a walk in the park." Jason, a man in his late 20's, murmured through gritted teeth. He leaned back, sweat beads on his forehead, grimacing. Maggie and I automatically went towards the table, Maggie going on the opposite side of Daddy and I went to the head of the table so that I could speak with Jason. I had helped with setting legs before and it wasn't something to be envious of, especially when any type of pain medication was absent.

"Hi Jason, I'm Beth. I'm gonna try and distract ya as much as possible, alright?" I rested my hands comfortably on his shoulders, looking at him upside down. His eyes, slightly shaking from the pain, held their stare with mine.

"Pleasure meeting ya, darlin'. I've seen ya around but never had a reason to speak with ya. I suppose this is as good a reason as any." I giggled at his strained humor, I reached for a piece of cloth in a bowl of water and rung it out.

"Want this on your head? It'll feel nice against your warm temperature." Jason nodded and placed it across his forehead. When my fingers grazed his face I could feel the extreme warmth and pursed my lips in slight concern. "He's very warm, Daddy." I murmured, not wanting to cause unnecessary alarm.

"I'm sure, Bethy. He's in excruciatin' pain right now. I appreciate your cavalier approach to this, Jason. But if you'd like Beth to get ya something to bite on, I'd suggest it now." I looked down at Jason for his decision and after a beat he nodded quickly to me. I reached down and undid my belt on my own pants. I gave it to Jason and he slowly brought it between his teeth then nodded at Daddy. I saw Daddy reposition a little and then he glanced up at both Maggie and I, that was the only sign that he was going to start. Again, I placed my hands on either side of Jason's shoulders and pressed slightly harder than before.

"Look at me, Jason. I'm sorry this is hurtin' so much but try not to only think about it." He looks up at me and smile down, encouraging.

"Talk to me, darlin'." He gritted his teeth and then took the belt in his mouth when he saw Daddy move with his leg and get ready to press.

"Well, do you remember what ice cream tasted like?" I bit my lip, wondering if that was stupid thought but decided to go with it. I watched Daddy moving the leg a few inches back and forth, trying to feel where it was in comparison to the socket. Jason nodded curtly at me and I continued. "My favorite flavor was peach. Probably because we could cut up fresh peaches and put it on top as well. Like double peach. Oh, it was so good. Sometimes I feel like I can still remember the flavor of it, even after all this time." Jason just stared at me and I was hoping my rambling was helping, at least slightly.

"I loved strawberry," Maggie piped up softly and I glanced up to smile at her. Right at that instant, Daddy jerked and I heard Jason yell into the belt, his neck straining with the amount of pressure he was biting down.

"Very good, very good. It's back in, Jason. It's back in." Daddy soothed and let the leg lay back down. I knew Jason was going to be sore for days after this but at least the pain of the dislocation would be done. the belt fell dropped out of Jason's mouth and he laid his head back with his eyes closed. There was nothing I could help with anymore so I snuck out of the room, not wanting to disturb him and went to find Judith.

A few days had passed without anything remarkable happening. I relished those days, really. I loved it when I laid down for bed at night and realized that the day had gone by without anything major happening. On the same hand, I hadn't had any progress made with Daryl and I was starting to just give up that we would ever have another civil conversation that went past question and answer.I hadn't gone on another run but I would make clear to Rick that I wanted to be included if more bodies were needed. I wasn't one for running and hiding after a non-perfect experience.

I was laying down on my bed, reading a book Maggie had found for me when I heard the footsteps nearing my cell. I looked up from my book when I heard them pause and not just pass on by. My stomach clenched involuntarily. Arms crossed against his body, Daryl didn't look happy at all and I sat up, curious that he had showed himself at all.

"What's goin' on?" I asked when he didn't offer anything immediately.

"Wanted to tell ya that I'm sorry for yellin' at ya. Wasn't right." He murmured and look down at the half way point between the two of us. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"I 'preciate that. I was hopin' to be able to speak with ya." I sat the book down and stood up from the bed but didn't advance at all. Daryl stayed permanent at the entrance. He shook his head slightly.

"Nah, nothin' to talk 'bout. Wasn't my place to yell. Just got caught up in the possibility of losin' someone on a run." He waved it all away with the flick of his wrist and I nodded.

"I'm sorry, too. I should have been payin' more attention to my surroundings. I just wanted to contribute and bring back some necessities." I cleared my throat and wrung my hands when I decided to address the product that had sent Daryl over the edge. "And, not that it is any of yer' business but I am not - " I stopped mid sentence when someone else slightly came into my cell. It was Jason, he leaned against the cell door allowing his left leg a relief from some weight.

"Sorry to interrupt, just wanted to give this back to ya." He reached out his hand and in it was the belt I had forgotten to get back after resetting the leg. I smiled and reached for it and immediately saw Daryl's eyes narrow as he saw the exchange. Without a word, he left the cell and I opened my mouth to say something but he was gone. "And to thank ya, darlin. You were very much a help to me." Jason didn't make a move to leave the cell once he gave me the belt.

"Well, it wasn't so much me as it was my daddy." I responded, stringing my belt back into the loops on my pants.

"It would have been a lot less bearable had you not been there to distract." Jason confidently spoke out, making me look up at him and tilt my head. He smiled at me and I couldn't help but return the favor.

"I'm sure happy to have contributed then." I felt my cheeks blush with Jason's stare unfaltering and I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Well, I'll leave ya alone. That's a great book, by the way. Hope you're enjoyin' it." He smiled and flicked a salute at me then hobbled out of my cell. I stared after him. I had never noticed Jason before, and I was no expert but I was pretty sure he was flirting with me. He was very handsome, with dirty blonde hair and very tall. But I couldn't help but wish Daryl hadn't left already. And I didn't know what to make of that feeling. So I laid back down and returned to my book, determined to not think too hard on the subject.

Next time I saw Daryl, he didn't look at me. And I wouldn't have thought anything of it but it was one of those instances that he had to try and deliberately not look at me. Carol gave me a few guns to hand to Daryl across the room since he was collecting and taking count of everything we had.

"Carol said this is all from Block B." I murmured to him, I couldn't ignore the way my stomach tightened like it always did when I was near Daryl but I kept my expression plain. All he did was take them from my hands and turn back to the table and started dismantling them. I let my hands drop to my sides and stared at him for a few beats, then turned on my heel and marched away.

"What was that about?" Carol asked, handing me Judith from the table she was sitting at. I happily grabbed the baby and bounced her on my hip.

"Dunno. Daryl being Daryl, I suppose." I brushed it off, not wanting to focus my energy on deciphering his confusing moods.

"Wouldn't have anything to do with the run a few weeks ago would it?" Carol asked, staring at me expectantly. I stared back at her with furrowed brows.

"What do you know about that?" I inquired and sat down at the table so that I was equal height to Carol.

"He may have vented to me a bit." She confessed, keeping her eyes on me. I felt my entire face ignite and tried to get my blushing under control.

"Vented about what?" I played innocent. I hoped to God Daryl wouldn't just go around to everyone, making fun of me for grabbing the condoms.

"He was just frustrated. Told me that you almost died."

"That's all?" I asked quickly, too quickly because Carol narrowed her eyes in curiosity.

"Was there more?"

I shook my head in response. I turned to Judith and scrunched my nose at her and touched her cheek with it. She smiled, cooed back and continued smacking her hands against the table.

"Well I apologized for almost dying to him. I don't know what else he wants. I thought we were fine, he apologized to me for yelling. But it doesn't look like he's over it." I confessed to Carol, determining I wasn't going to confess to the whole story.

"Maybe it's something else." Carol guessed and shrugged her shoulders. She reached across the table to play with Judith's hands while I thought about her guess. What else could I possibly have done to anger him? We never talked. We didn't do anything together anymore. Thinking of him, I turned my head back to him and his weapon table. He had a pistol in his hands but was looking up from it at me. My heart jumped slightly as our eyes met and then just as fast he returned his gaze back to the weapon in his hand. I pressed my lips against each other and chewed the inside of my lower lip. He was a puzzle, that was for sure.

A few days later I went down to the fence to relieve a person off of their shift. Turns out it was Maggie's turn and she gratefully handed me her crow bar that she had been using.

"S'not too bad today." She said, wiping the sweat off her forehead with a cloth.

"Just hell fire hot." I responded, smiling. She nodded and smiled back.

"The heat is the worst part." She hugged me and headed up to the prison. I leaned against the back fence, watching the few walkers far out in the field. Soon they would be up close to me. For now, there wasn't anything too near. I stared up at the sun and closed my eyes softly. The heat was truly terrible, but the sun sometimes felt nice. I liked it touching my face, making everything warm. I heard the groan and my eyes flashed open, a walker had reached the fence line so I hitched the crow bar up and went for the left eye socket. I closed my eyes on impact, again not being able to watch the second that impact was made.

Once the groans ceased I looked up and pulled the crow bar out, it sunk to the ground finally put to rest. I stared at it. What used to be a woman, taller than me but extremely thin and gaunt looking. She had deep red hair, that was long down her back. I wondered what her life had been. Who she had been. Was she a mother? A wife? Had she been single, worrying that she would never find the one?

"I'm sorry." I murmured to her. Not sorry that I had killed her, but that this had happened in the first place. And that she had met her fate a long time ago.

"Hi there, darlin'." I heard the voice and whipped around, startled that I wasn't the only one down here. Even more startled that I hadn't heard him approach. Jason raised his hands at me, in mock innocence. "Didn't mean to startle ya."

"No, you're fine. Just wasn't payin' attention. Didn't hear ya come up." I flicked the crow bar a little to get the dark blood and matter off of it. Jason watched me curiously. "Are you on shift right now?" I asked him, trying to make conversation. He nodded.

"Sure am. Can't be slackin' just 'cause my leg." He smirked and raised the spike, I hadn't seen before now, onto his shoulder. I leaned against the back fence again.

"How are ya feelin' by the way?"

"S'not too bad. Gettin' better each day." He limped over to me and leaned against the fence next to me. He had chosen the spot only about a foot away from me.

"I never even asked how it happened." I said to him, staring out to the field. I was very aware of him looking at me and I was trying hard not to blush.

"Fell off the smaller roof, above the patio. Lost my footin'. Bad mistake." He smacked his hands together, alluding to the fall. I cringed slightly.

"Yer lucky nothin' broke. Just seemed to dislocate."

"Sure am lucky." He didn't sound sarcastic and I looked up at him and met his eyes. "I like you, Beth. You seem like someone it would be nice to hang around." His confidence was taking me by surprise each time he spoke. I wasn't used to people outright saying what they're thinking. Jason seemed to be one of those types of people. I wasn't sure how to respond to him so I decided on joking.

"Well, I do lead quite the excitin' life." He laughed softly and I smiled. I liked the sound of the laugh and he seemed very nice and polite. He even apparently read, I remembered him commenting on my book. "Who were you? Before, I mean."

"I was a volunteer firefighter. And a substitute teacher, mainly taught english."

"I wanted to be a teacher. I love working with kids." Jason smiled down at me and I couldn't help but blush.

"You would be good at it. One day you will be a teacher. Once all of this is over."

"I like your optimism. It's a refreshing change from a lot of the depression."

"'Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and of true progress.'" He responded and stared up at the sky.

Just then we heard the moans and looked ahead, the pack of 7 walkers that I had seen earlier and had finally arrived.

"We'll continue this pleasant conversation after this reality check." He murmured to me and I smiled a small smile but then moved to start ending the walkers pressed against the fence. It was nice having Jason's presence around, I really liked the different feel of his conversations. But I couldn't help but wonder, right at that moment, where Daryl was and if he was still mad at me.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you again for the reviews/follows/favorites! I'm loving that you all are enjoying this like I am :) This is my first fanfic ever so I'm happy it isn't being thrown to the wolves! If anyone would like to Beta this story and who is able to do so based on the site's requirements send me a PM and we'll see if we match up writing styles! Thanks again and enjoy chapter 5!**

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Chapter 5:

"'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.'" Jason says, as he and I transfer supplies from one truck to another vehicle. We had been playing this game for what seemed like forever but we both enjoyed it too much to stop.

"Oh, I know this one. Okay. One second." I bit my lip as I handed him a pack of medical supplies.

"Want a hint, darlin?" He teased and I stuck my tongue out at him and shook my head. I placed both hands on my hips and stared at the ground. Those words were so familiar, I had read them before and I had studied them. Why couldn't I remember the title of the book they were the first line in? Finally, clarity struck.

"1984! George Orwell!" I yelled and jumped up and down in excitement. Jason laughed, resting his elbow on the side of the truck bed and leaned into it.

"Very good, I knew ya knew it." He congratulated. I bowed sarcastically and continued emptying the contents to him. "I'm impressed by the literature ya know for your age." I scrunched my nose at him as I handed him a stack of blankets.

"For my age? I'm almost 20."

"My point. Not many 20 year olds are as well read as ya. You're an anomaly. It's a compliment, darlin'. Take it." He shoved my shoulder and laughed and I returned the gesture.

Jason and I had grown closer the last few weeks. I was surprised how well we got along and caught myself looking forward to our conversations. He was extremely polite but outspoken, which is what kept our conversations interesting and long. He held himself with a lot of confidence and didn't shy away much. I had understood that this wasn't a totally innocent friendship we had, but so far he hadn't tried anything with me and if I was being honest, I was enjoying the somewhat empty flirting we had going on back and forth.

My developed friendship with Jason hadn't successfully distracted me from thinking about Daryl, though. And to my dismay, he seemed to be trying his hardest, and doing so successfully, to ignore my existence completely. He made me want to stomp my foot like a toddler sometimes, simply because he wouldn't acknowledge me. Our weapons training seemed to be years ago when it was only a few months ago.

The wind was chilly now and I could only assume it was around November or so. We had made the necessary fortifications with the prison and we were prepared for a winter inside. I wondered with the close environment if Daryl would still somehow find a way to avoid me. As my heart sunk slightly, I realized that he probably would.

"Want to help me bring this stuff up to my cell? I told Rick I would work on creatin' fire emergency response bags." Jason's voice brought me back to reality and I nodded without even realizing what all he said. We walked in silence, and I followed him up to his cell. We passed a few people and I had started realizing, the more I hung out with Jason, just how popular he had been with the Woodbury folks. Every single one we passed always made a point of saying hello with a genuine smile on their face. I had to admit, knowing that so many people admired him and liked him was definitely attractive to me.

"Mr. Popular. I know who won Homecomin' King during high school." I poked fun at him and he smirked, glancing down at me.

"I'd be lyin' if I denied that." His smirk grew even more as I laughed out loud at his confession.

"I'm sure you were a just and fair King." I offered, still stifling laughter.

"Too bad I didn't have you as my Queen, darlin'. We would have been quite the power couple." He nudged his elbow into my ribs and I smirked. I never knew how to respond to his comments like that. I knew he didn't mean them seriously but I also knew they weren't totally light hearted either. I had taken to just smiling when he made them most of the time, and it seemed to work just fine.

We got up to his cell and set the box I had been carrying onto his bed.

"So you're makin' fire safety….kits?" I asked and turned around, Jason was leaning against his bed post. He was almost back to complete normal function of his leg and I was happy that he wasn't in so much pain anymore.

Jason nodded, "Sure am. Honestly, I think Rick just wanted to give me somethin' to do. Which I'm grateful for." I giggled and sat down on the bunk and started pulling some things out of the box. He came over and sat on the bunk next to me. I felt a blush crawl up my neck at the closeness and I swallowed silently.

"I'm really happy you're feelin' better. And that everything seemed to heal." I mentioned, playing with a string between my fingers.

"I'm happy." He said simply and I hesitated before looking up at him. He stared at me and I bit my lip and looked down at his chest. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, Beth."

I wanted cry out with frustration. Here was a near perfect man, who was interested in me, and I couldn't get past this boulder in my heart. Something was stopping me from completely letting go with Jason. Or someone.

"I'm sorry, I'm working through some things. I guess." I murmured, disappointed with my answer. I saw Jason purse his lips for a moment and then reached up and tucked a blonde hair behind my ear. I half smiled at him in apology and then I heard someone down the hall.

"Daryl, did you want these taken down to the patio?" I didn't recognize the voice but my heart leapt all of sudden when I heard his name. I jumped off the bed, away from Jason, worried that if Daryl passed by the cell and he saw me on the bed with Jason he would get the wrong idea.

But then, at the same time, who cares? He clearly had no interest in continuing our friendship. That, he had made extremely clear. So why care if he saw me sitting on a bed with someone else? Screw him and his isolation tactics.

I sat back down next to Jason and murmured an apology.

"I don't know what that was." I reached out and traced the veins popping out of Jason's hand resting on his knee. I waited for Jason to make any kind of connection to Daryl and my weird behavior. But if he did, he didn't mention it.

"Beth, I want ya to know I like ya. A lot. And when you're ready to move forward, so am I. Life these days is precious and I don't want to waste more of it without ya." I looked up and couldn't help smiling at Jason for his kind words. I felt a swell of boldness, a slight feeling of "screw you" to Daryl and leaned up to kiss Jason on his cheek.

"'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'" I whispered as I pulled away from him. I saw a grin appear on his face and he leaned back on the bed pulling me with him as a giggle escaped my mouth uncontrollably.

"Tale of Two Cities. You're on, Greene."

In between my laughing and Jason tickling me, I had completely missed the somber redneck passing by the cell and the expression he wore when he saw the scene playing out in front of him.

"Beth! Beth, hurry! We need help!" The shouting made me shoot up in my bed and I saw Maggie at the entrance to my cell. "Beth, get up! Walkers have gotten in on the south side!" I struggled to throw on shoes, it was still dark outside and I felt like I had only been sleeping for a few hours. I grabbed a stake from the corner of my cell and dashed after my sister who was about 15 feet in front of me.

I followed her down some stairs and around corners until we had woven back to an area not used very often, or even at all. Which explained how the decrepit walls had remained the way they were long enough for walkers to infiltrate.

"Shit." I muttered under my breath and stabbed the first walker who was closest to me in the middle of its forehead. I opened my eyes to see it finally dead and yanked my weapon back out, letting the twice dead human being slump to the floor.

I tried looking around to see who had come down. There were about a handful of us, Maggie, Glenn, Rick, Michonne, Sasha and Tyreese. I didn't notice any Woodbury folks and had a torn feeling. I trusted our group the most to protect and fight, but I also wasn't comfortable with us being the only ones risking our lives. This was my family, and I didn't want to put any of them into situations filled with this kind of danger.

I saw angel wings flash beside me and I looked to see Daryl running in, he ran straight to Rick and handed him a handgun then to Sasha and Tyreese handing them more weapons as well. Suddenly, shots rang through the air. I suppose since we were indoors the gun shots weren't as dangerous as if they were outside. And it was definitely quicker, walkers were dropping much faster and we were finally making a dent on the herd that had snuck its way inside.

One my fourth walker kill, I turned to see one coming straight at me at an awkward angle and I knew it would be hard to kill it in the head from the position I was in. As I raised my stake, an arrow suddenly protruded through its forehead from behind. It dropped and I looked passed it to connect my gaze with Daryl's. It was just a moment and then he was moving on to the next walker. I bit my lip but didn't think too long on it and then moved to kill a walker that had fallen on the ground and was crawling slowly.

It seemed like a moment that lasted for years, but everything seemed to come to a very slow standstill when I saw Daryl reach up to bash a walker skull in with the butt of his bow and I saw two walkers shamble towards him from behind. Without having another thought, I sprint to where he was and rammed my shoulder into one walker which bumped the other. A dead hand had reached Daryl enough to rip his shirt slightly before I had knocked it out of the way. I moved quicker than I thought I could do so, stabbing both consecutively in their skulls.

A lot of the moans had ceased and it seemed we had finally destroyed the intruders. I turned around to find Daryl staring at me, not in awe necessarily, but just staring. I met his gaze, taking in the fact that he was okay. He wasn't hurt. And then I remembered the ripped shirt and I went up to him without speaking. He leaned away from me but his feet didn't move so I decided it wasn't a total rejection of me.

"Your shirt…" I murmured and went around his back and lifted my hand to feel the ripped shirt along his back. I moved it up and around to look at his bare skin, I barely glimpsed several deep cuts but before I could gasp, he ripped out of my touch.

"'M fine." He growled and rolled his shoulder to hitch his cross bow back onto it.

"But I saw - " I reached back out to him, still astonished at the cuts.

"Told ya 'm fine. Worry 'bout someone else." He whipped and started going around yanking bolts out of walker skulls. I stood speechless, staring after him once he left the area.

I wasn't immediately concerned, because the cuts weren't fresh. In fact, they were very old scars. And lots of them. Oh, there were so many scars and I'm sure they extended past what I had seen.

Just when I thought I had learned some things about Daryl, specifically how he worked and his personality, there were more surprises. And it was pretty obvious that he worked very hard to hide them. Despite how I knew I should act, respecting his privacy and boundaries that he had set for everyone, I wanted to help. And I was positive that if I could break down the walls he had built that I could make him feel a little lighter, possibly get rid of some demons that he still harbored. I wanted to do that.

I decided to finally start dedicating some of my time to discovering more of the prison. A large part of that being because I wanted to find Daryl's hiding place. I made a promise that I would start looking later that day once he had disappeared again.

I moved to start carrying bodies and piling them on top of each other outside. Rick was very obviously angry, but I knew that most of his anger was directed inwards towards himself.

"Rick, no one knew this area really even existed." I heard Sasha comfort as she and Tyreese threw a body and the dull thud made my stomach twist.

"I shoulda known. This could have been a lot worse." Rick responded, glancing around at the walls that had fallen due to abuse and age.

"But it wasn't." Michonne said simply, also clearing away walkers.

"Michonne is right. Can't dwell on it, Rick. There was a problem, we handled it. Just like we always have. Just like we always will." Glenn said, slapping Rick on the shoulder. I had always liked Glenn, I was so happy when him and Maggie clicked and had become inseparable. He was good for her.

Once we had the walker bodies piled and burning, Rick told us that we would have patrol in this area until we got enough supplies to build a make shift barrier to replace the wall.

I walked back to my cell, suddenly letting the exhaustion hit me and I realized that this all had occurred in the middle of the night. I curled back into my cot and turned on my side, facing the wall. Drifting off to the sleep, I couldn't help but wonder what Daryl was thinking at that exact moment.

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**A/N: I'm toying with the idea of having a Daryl POV chapter soon, leave me your thoughts in the reviews! Also, things are about to start speeding up pretty quickly in the next few chapters so stay tuned for some DRASTIC changes :) Thank you all, your words are more encouraging than you realize!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: You all are awesome! I love my readers! I hope you enjoy this chapter, like I promised, things are going to start moving and I'm so happy you're with me on this journey :) I wanted to take a moment to address something with how I'm taking this fanfic: I'm pulling certain characters, scenes and plot lines from the actual series (obviously). But in order to make it my spin, I do take a little liberty with how things play out. So even though we're in the prison right now, doesn't mean I'm going to follow exactly what happens in the prison on the show (big example, Jason) but during this chapter there are also other instances, too. I just didn't want any confusion on that! Okay! No more chatting, please enjoy :)**

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Chapter 6:

I was getting closer to figuring out his hiding spot.

Every time he snuck off, I nonchalantly went by his cell and once I knew he wasn't in there and hadn't left the prison, the hunt was on. This may have developed into a fun game more than anything, but I welcomed the distraction. It was something different I got to try and I was loving it.

One day, I decided to check two floors up where there was an old library room. I hadn't tried there before and I was slowly clearing the floors. Second floor had a lot of potential and I was hoping it was my lucky day. As I speed walked across the first floor, aimed at the stairs, I didn't even realize when I almost bumped into someone until they spoke up.

"Hey, whoa, darlin'." It was Jason, he was dressed in his faded light jeans and the grey shirt he had been wearing ever since I met him. I smiled at him without hesitation. "Where ya goin' so fast? Almost ran me over." I put my hands up in innocence.

"So sorry! Was just headed upstairs…to check it out." I decided against revealing my actual truth about Daryl. I feel like no one would understand the reasoning I had for wanting to find him. Jason furrowed his brow for a second but then shrugged his shoulders. I exhaled in relief when I realized he wasn't going to push further into it.

"Well, alright. You ought to come find me later when you're not…explorin'. I've got a good quote for ya, don't think you'll get it." He winked at me and strode off with a salute. I bit my lip and watched him go for a bit until I remembered my mission. I would think about Jason later, right now I was trying to find a stealthy redneck who didn't want to be found.

I came up the stairs and took a look around until I got my bearings and then headed towards the library. I had never actually been to the library but Carol had told me about it and it seemed like the perfect, quiet area that he would want to be.

Unfortunately, when I rounded the corner and went inside the room I didn't see a living soul. I took a moment to take a deep breath in; the smell of the books still there filled the air. I closed my eyes and let the scent relate back to fond memories of my old life, where the biggest concern was if Jimmy would ask me out. It was such a simple scent, but it brought back all the familiar other scents as well.

I shook my head, trying to physically shake the thought out of my head as well.

"Come on, you've got to be around here somewhere." I murmured softly.

The library came up empty and I let out a huff of frustration. I decided to take a stroll down the hallway to see if anything else caught my attention and if not, I would go back downstairs and brainstorm another area.

As I was walking I noticed several doors to open rooms but no Daryl. This was obviously the administration floor due to the carpets, rooms and offices. And a ladder? I paused, not realizing that the ladder I saw was attached to the wall. I went up to it and sure enough, as I looked up and saw a small hatch door I wondered what was on the other side of the door. I blew air through my mouth and decided to find out.

The hatch door opened relatively easy and quietly, to my surprise. I stuck my head up and noticed a small, attic type of room. And there, off to the side, laying on his back with his arm over his eyes was the winning game piece. The elusive redneck. I felt my torso tighten, like it always did when I saw him and I giggled with happiness. And it must have been loud enough because he suddenly started and whipped his body up with amazing reaction speed.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Beth! You tryin' to give me goddamn heart attack?" He kicked some papers that had been near his foot. I climbed the rest of the way up the ladder and sat down on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya." I apologized sincerely. Daryl eyed me for a few seconds more and then lowered his cross bow to the ground.

"Ya didn't scare me. Just surprised is all." He muttered and I smiled at him. Clearly uncomfortable, he fidgeted and shifted his weight to his other foot. "What are ya doin' up here?"

"Lookin' for ya." I decided to come right out and say it. No use making up excuses.

"Well ya found me, ya can go now." He flicked his wrist towards the hatch I just emerged from and I felt my eyes squint.

"But I just got here. Aren't ya goin' to show me 'round or somethin'?" I crossed my arms over my chest in a pout stance.

"No." He stated simply and played with a release on his crossbow, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Come on, Daryl. What the heck is the matter? We got along just fine when you were showin' me how to fight." I stretched my legs out and looked around, appreciating the astonishingly clean and spacious attic. He didn't answer right away and turned back to look at him, he was glaring at me and I started to realize he really wouldn't talk to me. No, he really didn't want to talk to me.

"Pretty sure ya need to go check on yer' boyfriend. Leave me alone." He spat and my jaw dropped in slight embarrassment.

"Are ya jealous?" I taunted, crossing my arms across my chest and keeping my face straight. My heart beat a few extra beats when I laid it out on the table like that. If Daryl admitted to that, I wouldn't know how to respond. But something very tiny and very deep inside me jumped with joy at the thought. Daryl stared at his feet a few moments then turned his glare on me. And laughed, a very short, humorless laugh. I felt the little person inside of me die a little.

"Ya think I'm jealous? O' him? Ya need a reality check, little girl. I don't got no interest in ya, and never will. Sooner ya realize that, tha' better. Now, get. And don't bother me again."

I felt the tears start to well around the brim of my eyes and anger flared inside of me. I refused to let him see me cry so I started for the hatch door.

"You're an ass." I spit at him and climbed down, slamming the hatch door as hard as I could.

I ran down the hallway, running away from him. I couldn't believe he had gone that far, said all of that. I reached the staircase and entered it closing the door behind me, but before making my way down the stairs I collapsed against the wall and slid to the ground.

After a solid ten minutes of sobbing, I felt my heart fill with someone other than hurt. It was determination. Angrily, I rubbed the back of my hand against my cheek getting rid of the last tears I would cry over Daryl Dixon. I stood up and took a few deep breaths. If he wasn't interested, then fine. Neither was I. And I had finally made up mind.

"Hey Carol, you seen Jason?" I asked, after becoming confident that there wasn't any trace of my breakdown. The older woman turned to me, rubbing towels together in the tub with a confused expression.

"Who?"

"Never mind." I said with a smile and kept walking. I had already checked his cell but didn't find him. I went outside and wrapped the jacket around me, a very cool breeze was whipping through the prison yard and I took off on a brisk walk.

Finally, I saw him. He was shoving big wooden poles into the ground, against the chain link fence, fortifying it. I pressed my lips together and headed towards him. Once I got closer, the crunching under my boots gave way to my presence and he turned and smiled.

"Afternoon, darlin'. Come to give me a hand?" He propped his elbow up on one of the poles and smirked at me. I stood before him, smiling back, toying with the idea in my head. And then finally decided to quit thinking.

I went right up to him, eliminating the space and reached up to place both hands on either side of his face. I stood on my toes and kissed him. He didn't move for a second but then I felt his arms wrap around me and pulled me as close as I could get.

It was an innocent kiss, didn't last much longer than a few seconds. But when we pulled apart he grinned at me and picked me up, swinging me around in a circle. I squealed with laughter, begging him to put me down.

I was happy, because for a second, I was reprieved of the sadness in my heart.

Months passed and the prison started to feel like an actual prison. It was dark, no one went outside unless they had to, and the best way to stay warm was staying huddled under blankets and clothes. At times, I was sure it was below freezing and the prison didn't have a great insulation build when it was functional and so now it was even worse.

I rarely saw Daryl, if I did, it was glimpses and I urged myself to never look at him for longer than it took to recognize who it was. I focused all of my energy and focus on Jason, determined to make this work.

We were happy, he made me laugh all the time and we connected on a lot of things. Daddy liked him, Jason loved learning from Daddy about medical procedures and on multiple occasions Daddy thanked him for risking his life as a firefighter _before_.

Maggie was happy for me also, she was hesitant at first simply because Jason hadn't come from our original group and there was a lack of trust there but soon she realized how well he was liked and it was hard not letting him grow on you. He had the southern charm down to a science and it seemed like no one hated him.

We were pretty inseparable, even at night. We would trade off whose cell we would stay in for the night and I liked it. Firstly, because it was a great way to stay warm and secondly, we would spend a long time talking until one of us drifted off to sleep. Jason usually fell asleep before I did, which left me to my own thoughts at night.

"Beth," Jason breathed as he hovered above me and I ran my hands over his bare torso and back. He leaned down and bit my collarbone softly which elicited a soft moan from my lips and I arched my back into him. I felt his hands move down to my hips and he pressed himself against me. My breathing became hard and fast and I whispered his name.

He started to move my shirt up, very slowly, as though he was asking me silently. He looked in my eyes and I nodded and arched my back to allow him to take my shirt off completely.

Skin to skin contact felt wonderful, his muscles were so strong and solid. I held onto his shoulders and wrapped my legs around his hips.

"Dammit, Beth. You're gonna kill me." I smiled at his omission and bit my lip involuntarily. He reached up and touched my lips softly with his hand. Then he left his hand trail down between my breasts and along my stomach. He stopped at the button on my jeans. He started to undo the button and suddenly, I'm not sure where it came from, but my hand moved to stop his.

We were silent for a few beats and I pressed my lips together and felt my brows furrow.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I couldn't look him in the eyes, embarrassed that I couldn't do it.

"Beth, darlin'. Beth, look at me. Don't you dare apologize to me. You do what you want to do, nothin' else." Jason grabbed my shirt and handed it to me so I could slip it back on. He put his back on as well and laid down by my side and wrapped his arm around my torso. I turn towards him and rest my hand on his cheek.

"You're so good to me."

"Darlin', you deserve the best. I want to be your best."

We didn't say anything after that, and just like normal, Jason drifted off to sleep first. Even with his arm around me and how sweet he had been, a small part of my brain couldn't help but softly remind me that Jason, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't be my best.

But I liked to think I had moved on easily, that I rarely even thought of Daryl. And sometimes, that was true. It wasn't hard to "move on" in that sense because we hadn't even been anything to move on from. I had let my emotions go unchecked and out of control. And I paid the price for that. I had learned my lesson, never again would I try and reach out to Daryl Dixon.

"Come on, Beth. Time for dinner." Maggie stopped by my cell. "Now what are ya readin'?"

I sat the book down, with the page dog-eared for my spot, and started slipping on my boots.

"It's a great book, it's about a man when he is older returns to his college professor who is dying and - "

"Sorry, Bethy. I really didn't care." Maggie interrupted with a wink, and I stuck my tongue out at her and chucked my other shoe. I hit her in the stomach before she had a chance to duck away.

"Ow!" She huffed and tossed the shoe back to me to put on.

"My thoughts exactly!" I respond, standing and shoving her out my cell and followed.

"Wanna stop by and grab the boyfriend?" She jabbed her elbow into my ribs and I half smiled.

"I do have a life outside o' him, y'know."

"Oh, sure ya do. No, I believe ya. Promise."

"You're one to talk, Maggie!"

"That don't count, Glenn and I are married now." She said with the biggest smile and flashed her hand in my face.

"I know, I saw it the first 300 times ya showed me." I made sure she understood the playful tone in my voice. I was extremely happy for her, the wedding was such a nice relief from the dreariness of the world around us. And Glenn truly was the perfect guy for her. Always in the back of my mind though, I couldn't get the question as to where Glenn had gotten that ring in the first place.

"It ought to not be too long for you and Jason, too, right?" She teased but I knew my sister well enough to hear the actual question in it as well.

"We are not gettin' married anytime soon." I said strongly, staring at Maggie as we turned the corner. I wasn't looking, which explained why I ran head first into Daryl.

"Oh shit, Daryl. Ya scared us!" Maggie said, her hand over her heart. My mouth, I could feel, was dropped hanging open. I couldn't say anything.

"Sorry." He muttered and pushed past us without another word. Without another look. Maggie started walking again and I followed her mindlessly.

"Well, if it were up to me, I'd have ya guys married next week." I heard her but I didn't have a response so I just nodded. Unable to get the look of hatred I had seen in Daryl's eyes when he looked straight at me out of my head.

It was spring time. It should have been a happy time. But it wasn't.

Rick called us all into the big, eating area so that he could speak to us at one time. I could feel the somberness throughout the whole room. Recent events caused that.

A group, sort of like us, living a little ways away from the prison, wanted us dead. And not so much as the group, but a man who self-righteously called himself the Governor. He had kidnapped Maggie, Michonne and Andrea. Tortured them. He had made himself clear to Rick that he wouldn't be relenting. And now was the time to make a decision. I sat down with Jason next to Glenn and Maggie. I saw Michonne standing in the corner and the rest of our group sitting in front like we were. Daryl was next to Rick and I made myself promise that I wouldn't look at him the entire time I was here.

"We all know why I've asked y'all to come. We have a decision to make, here. Now." Rick spoke, his hands on his hips and his shoulders square. I had so much respect and trust in Rick that I would follow him anywhere. I undoubtedly knew he always had the group's best interest at heart.

"When are we gonna go kill this guy, Rick." Glenn seethed, his arm around Maggie who was staring at the ground. I had spent four nights in a row with my sister once she had been returned to us, and as much as Daddy would disapprove, I had just as much hate in my heart for this "Governor" that Glenn did. I wanted him dead.

"Well, Glenn. We gotta talk this through with everyone. Our next move dictates what happens to all of us here."

"There isn't any "talking through" to be done! This bastard kidnapped our people! He kidnapped my wife! If any of you," Glenn stood up and turned around to the rest of the group. I knew his comments were directed at the ex-Woodbury folks. "feel differently, and that you think maybe killing your old leader is a bad idea, you can gladly take my wife's experiences and make them your own. Then come back to me and keep the same opinion."

Just then, Daddy reached up and touched Glenn's forearm. Glenn didn't look at Daddy but he slowly sat back down, staring down each and everyone sitting behind us.

Jason grabbed my hand and squeezed it, I looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. He had been my rock through all of this and I was glad I had someone to lean on during this awful time.

"Glenn, I want to make this right just as much as you do. But that does not mean we rush into a decision without thinking it through. And that includes getting everyone's view. Now, anyone have an opinion they would like to express on this matter?" Rick's voice resonated across the room and he had his captive audience. Daryl moved his weight from one foot to another and crossed his arms. I looked away.

"I think we should move. If we leave, he won't have anyway of hurting us again." Jason spoke up and I glanced at him in surprise. Rick nodded and I saw Daryl's jaw muscle move as he stared at Jason. A few people in the back expressed agreement with Jason.

"We got a lot of people." Rick mentioned softly, not in disagreement but as a qualification. "Children. Elderly. On the run doesn't bode well for a safe trip."

"What if we send out scouts first," I looked over to see Tyreese speak up. The gentle giant. Of course he didn't want more bloodshed. "Spend a few days looking for a good set up, that way we aren't going anywhere without a plan or path. We have a destination and we get to it."

"We're not gonna find a better place than this! We have to defend it!" I didn't recognize the voice and I assumed it was someone from Woodbury that I hadn't gotten to know.

"We will find another place. Our decision can't be based on fear of the future." Rick responded calmly.

"Everything we decide is based on fear! That's our life now!" Another unfamiliar voice and I bit my lip. Rick asked for opinions, and he was getting them.

"Daryl," Tyreese spoke up and I turned my attention to Daryl finally, telling myself that it would be normal for me to be looking at him now and that it wasn't because there was anything still there. It had been 5 months since we had even had a conversation. There wasn't anything there. "Have you run into any places that could possibly be something we could move to? It doesn't have to be this fortified, we can fix it up. But just somewhere else." It was like Tyreese was pleading with him, hoping that we could all decide on a nonviolent way out of this position.

Daryl shook his head. "Naw, I can't think o' nothin' nearby that could house this many people."

Tyreese looked down at his hands and Sasha put her hand on his shoulder.

"May I say something." Daddy spoke, quietly but strongly, as he stood. "Can we not reason with this tyrant? This is our home, and leaving could be detrimental. Many lives could be lost if we left. But the same amount of lives could also be lost if we engage with this man and fight him. No settlement of an argument is worth blood. Theirs or ours. I can speak with him, if you'd like. Maybe he needs to speak with someone that he doesn't have a history of anger against. No offense, Rick."

"Daddy!" I exasperated, softly. It wasn't loud enough for many to hear but Jason squeezed my hand and I saw, in my peripheral vision, Daryl look at me. He couldn't go, he was disabled. I didn't want this Governor to be near my father.

"I don't like you goin' alone. I don't trust this man at all." Rick responded.

"I'll go." Daryl spoke up and my eyes widened slightly.

"No," Michonne shoved off the wall she had been leaning on. "I'll go with him."

"Michonne - " Rick started but she cut him off.

"I know him, I can tell what he's thinking and I'll be able to keep Hershel safe."

And with that, the decision was made. Everyone held onto hope, the day when Daddy and Michonne left to speak with the Governor. Everyone crossed their fingers, and prayed to God and spoke positively amongst each other. Everyone thought this just might work.

Until the tanks showed up. And the people with guns. The hope was there until I saw my sweet, caring, understanding and just Daddy on his knees lose his head. I'll always remember his soulful eyes looking back up at us. As though he was saying his silent goodbye.

That's when all hell broke loose, and we lost our home.

And then I was running.

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**A/N: I've decided to hold a quick game for you all! If you recognized the beginning plot of the book Beth started describing to Maggie that she was reading in this chapter you can either comment with the title and author in a review or PM me. The first one I receive a notification about (my settings email me whenever I have a PM or review) I will dedicate a one-shot that is Bethyl-centric to you! It will be independent from this story, and it allows me to stretch my creative writing and play with something new! Good luck and thanks for reading!**

****UPDATE: The correct answer was PM'ed to me by Cosmicstarfish, it was Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom :) So be looking for a separate one shot to be published soon! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: First off, I AM SO SORRY. To all of you. There has been such an unexpected delay with this chapter and all I can attribute it to is life. Senior year of college kind of took off all at once and before I knew it 3 weeks had gone by like that *snaps finger*. I promise to try and get back to AT LEAST an update every 2 weeks on this story. I was in a bit of a block as well, I know what I want to happen but it's pretty far out so figuring out the story line leading up to that is what I'm working on cementing. So this is somewhat shorter update than I try and do but I wanted to get something published for all of you wonderful readers/followers. Please let me know what you think! Leave some love and I'll be sure to return the favor :)**

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Chapter 7:

I wasn't human anymore. Or at least, I didn't feel like I was. It seemed to all happen in a slow, blurry motion. I barely registered anything happening.

The kick from the gun I was firing, until I was out of ammo.

Maggie yanking my arm near the bus.

My feet pounding down the bus stairs and back inside the prison, trying to find my baby Judith.

I remember the pounding in my chest, the panic that seemed to drown me all at once when I couldn't find her. Or Carl. Or any of the children.

I felt another stronger, rougher pull on my arm.

And then Daryl and I were running through the trees, away from the destruction and weaving in between walkers who were attracted by all the noise and fire.

It was days before I said anything.

"Good?" Daryl asked, tossing his head back towards me so I could hear.

"Yeah." I responded, right on his heels.

And we kept moving.

I marked a small notch in the handle of my knife with every sunrise. I was surprised to realize that something inside of me cared enough to keep track of the time. Then I thought maybe it was just something to do except dwell in my own thoughts.

We ran, we killed, we slept. Repeat.

My head couldn't process anything past the present. I didn't think it wanted to process anything more than that. And at the moment, I was content with not being human.

…

On the 21st notch, we found a boarded up house in the middle of a pasture. We watched it for a few moments, making sure there wasn't any movement and then decided to progress towards it.

The entire pasture seemed quiet and I kept my eye on the tree line while Daryl walked ahead of me, taking point towards the house.

We got closer and I reached out to the banister on the porch and knocked the end of my hunting knife on it to make noise. Daryl kept his crossbow at attention waiting for my knocking to bring any able-bodied walker towards the door. Still nothing.

Daryl glanced at me and I nodded, following him up the stairs of the porch. I reached the door and turned the door knob and it yielded, allowing us access. I swung the door open quickly and followed Daryl inside, going the opposite way he did.

We cleared the house and met back in the living room, looking around for anything we could easily grab and carry.

Up until this point, we never stayed at a place we found. The majority of the houses we ran into weren't fortifiable and neither one of us even brought up maybe staying.

But with this place, there was a tiny voice inside of me asking if maybe this could be a place to stay for a little longer than 8 hours. I shook the possibility out of my head.

If we stayed put, we would get comfortable. And comfortable would get us killed. Just like the rest of our family. I winced at the memory and swallowed hard, focusing on not letting my face reveal the sudden depression.

I walked into the kitchen, stepping over papers and cushions thrown about. I stepped over an over turned kitchen chair, it seemed the place had been ransacked more than once. I made a mental note that others had been here before, meaning it could happen again that more people found this. Another reason staying would be a bad idea.

Once in the kitchen I looked around and saw that most of the cupboards were open, revealing empty shelves. I almost turned on my heel to head back to Daryl and the living room until something odd caught my eye. A higher cabinet, two doors remained closed. And what seemed weird was that the doors on either side were opened yet these two remained shut.

I placed my hunting knife back in its sheath and climbed up on the counter to reach the closed cabinet. I reached up and opened the cabinet, my mouth dropped. Cans upon cans of beans, corn, asparagus and several other food items were stacked on top of each other.

"Oh my…" I trailed off and turned to hop off the counter to go get Daryl but froze when he was standing there staring up at me.

And for the first time in over two weeks and since we had seen our family torn apart, we both smiled at each other.

It was almost like there had been a silent conversation between us that determine we would stay in that house for the night. We spent the rest of the afternoon tying a rope Daryl had kept in his backpack around the porch entrance with empty aluminum cans to create a sort of alarm system if anything came walking up the steps. Daryl checked the boards on the windows to make sure they were still intact and then we barricaded the door once we were inside for the night.

Daryl grabbed us both a can of green beans and we sat on the floor across from one another, not saying a word and just reveling in the small good fortune we had stumbled upon. Staying in a home that had a hidden stash of food was a hundred times better than what we had been doing. Sleeping in the woods, taking shifts on watch and eating a squirrel if one had the unlucky fortune to run past Daryl.

Everything was quiet. I could hear the cicadas buzz throughout the woods, but other than that, nothing.

I sat with my back against a large tree, my knees pulled up and my elbows rested on top, my head needing the support my arms gave. That was all I seemed to be able to do at the moment, while my brain reeled.

Leaving the prison as fast as I did, I could barely register what was happening. So many gun shots. So many screams and cries of despair. I was running around, desperately trying to find Maggie, Judith, Carl or Jason, anyone that I should have been looking out for, but I never saw them.

I remember barely being able to hear his voice, shouting at me. My ears seemed like cotton had been stuffed in them, I couldn't focus. Then his strong hands gripped my shoulders and whipped me around, yelling at my face to follow him. And I did.

And now we were here. In the middle of the woods, far enough away from the prison that we could finally not see the smoke in the sky from our demolished home.

Daryl hadn't said a word since we had left, and neither had I. We were the quietest pair and for now, I was fine with that. I didn't think I could hold a conversation loud enough to drown out my thoughts.

…

I awoke to the sudden clinking of something metal and my heart jumped into my throat as I gasped and reached my hunting knife under my jacket pillow. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and Daryl was already on his feet, his crossbow aimed as he was walking towards the door. I got up and followed after him, knowing I didn't want him going out there alone to face whatever was making the noise.

He glanced back at me and then jerked his head for me to go ahead of him. He wanted me to open the door for him. I snuck in front of him but before opening the door, I rested my head against it to try and hear something other than the metal cans clanging. And there, very faintly, I heard the undead moaning of a walker. I waited a few more seconds until I was confident that I was only hearing one source of moaning, then I turned the door knob and let Daryl have his aim at the walker on the porch.

One swift kill, and the present danger was finally gone. Daryl sat his crossbow down and went outside to untangle the walker from where it had fallen. I stepped onto the porch and looked around, hating that we were in such an open field, someone could spot us fairly easily at this point.

"Beth," Daryl grumbled and I glanced down at him. He was lifting the walker but the foot was still caught in the rope so I went over and untangled it, trying to avoid making any more excess noise. I helped lift it over the rope and carry it out to the field about 50 feet away from the house, but when we laid it on the ground something caught my eye. I got closer to the walker's head so I could see better and felt my lip pinch in thought.

"Daryl, look." I croaked out, my voice still so used to not vocalizing. I pointed towards the walker's neck, where there was clearly a worn line going all the way around its neck.

"Looks like it got caught on somethin'." Daryl murmured dismissively, and started walking back towards the house.

I cocked my head, still staring. Whatever it was about this, didn't seem like Daryl's explanation fit. Heading back to the house, I felt chills run up my back and I hurried a little faster after Daryl who was waiting to board up the door again once I was inside.

Laying down on my blanket, I stared at the ceiling, still thinking about the corpse out in the yard and how it had gotten such a weird wound. If it had gotten caught on something then the line might go across the front of the neck but not all the way around. I tried closing my eyes to get more sleep before we had to move on in the morning but for the rest of the night I slept so restlessly that it didn't feel much like sleep at all.

…

Grabbing my backpack and Daryl's, I headed to the kitchen to stock up from the food in the cabinet. I stared up at it, wondering how much I should take and what the best way would be to carry it.

Daryl came walking in and seeing my pause, raised his eyebrow.

"What's a matter?" He asked, cleaning out his bow with a rag he had found.

"Not sure how much to take." I respond, climbing onto the cabinet to start putting the corn into the bags.

"All o' it." He says confidently, and starts to walk off. I stare after him in disbelief.

"All of it?" I ask, incredulously. "This could be someone's food source. We can't strip them of it."

He laughs without humor, "Odds are, they ain't comin' back fer it." At the mention of death, I feel my heart constrict and suddenly a flame ignites within me.

"What is wrong with you!" I hiss at him, hopping down off the counter. He turns to look at me, his eyes dark and his face hard. "How can you just joke about somethin' like that?" I get closer to him, feeling my shoulders square wanting a fight.

"It ain't a joke," He seethes between closed teeth and I grimace at the cold in his voice. "None of this is a joke. People die. Left and right, they die every fuckin' day. We find food, we take it. End of story. Thinkin' 'bout other people is a waste 'cause then yer just harmin' yerself."

I feel the tears well up in my eyes and curse at myself for not staying stronger than this.

"Don't say that." I hoarse out, staring at his neck unable to make eye contact.

"Say what? The truth? Reality? Wake up." He turns on his heel and I push him from behind. He falls forward a step but catches himself.

"Stop it. Stop it!" I scream. The tears are fully falling now and I just let them. It seemed like the cork on everything I had been keeping bottled up and finally come loose.

"It's true!" He yells back, throwing his arms in the air. Faintly, I hear the desperation in his voice but its masked well with anger. "That's why everyone we know is dead. We helped people and look what happened. They brought us that one-eyed asshole. Your daddy is dead. You ain't ever gonna see yer sister again. All because we couldn't undo what we had already done…"

"We can't lose our humanity. Then we're just as bad as the walkers." I say through heaves, my face in my hands sobbing quietly.

"Might as well be them! Can't fuckin' do anythin' else right!" Daryl yells again, his hands in his hair pulling. I look up at him and he's staring at the ceiling. "If I could have just kept lookin'."

"Daryl-"

"I coulda found 'im. Just kept trackin'. Woulda eventually found him." His voice was so reserved now that my anger was dissipating and I was finally understanding him.

I wasn't sure where the urge came from, or the confidence that made me do it, but I went up to Daryl and hugged him. I didn't mind when he didn't reciprocate by hugging back but he also didn't pull away. I wiped the last few tears away from my cheeks and stared at the ground as I held onto him.

"It ain't your fault. You gotta know that." I whisper, hoping that he'll accept that. But I knew he wouldn't. He didn't say anything in fact. Just stood there, and let me hug him.

…

We ate another can of asparagus for lunch before we wanted to take off. Finally feeling ready, I broke the silence.

"I think they're out there." I say, taking another bite of canned asparagus. Daryl didn't respond, so I continued. "Maggie. And Glenn. I don't see how they couldn't have gotten out. And Rick, and Carl and Judith? I'm sure they found each other and ran. We're all probably out by ourselves wondering around not sure if anyone else made it but we did. We made it."

At first, Daryl didn't respond and I accepted that but then he cleared his throat and threw his empty can into the corner for trash.

"Was thinkin' maybe we stay here a few more nights. It's pretty secure. And we might as well rest as much as we can since y'never know when we'll have to run." I smiled a small smile and looked up at him.

"Good idea." I respond and Daryl grunts, moving to the window. I look around at the little house and wonder if this could maybe be a good place to settle into for a bit. I let a little optimism swell in my heart a bit as I thought about that.

Unfortunately, without either of us knowing, only a little ways away in the forest was a rope with a more solid rope attached to the end of it. The loop had been severed, and on it was clearly dark blood from the undead. As though what once had been tied up, was no longer so.

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**A/N: So, what do YOU think is going to happen? Try and predict the foreshadowing hints, I dropped quite of few in this chapter about what may come! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello, lovelies! Thank you to every single one of you reading this, I love seeing the favorites/follow/reviews! You're the reason this is still being typed and I love going on this ride with you :) Please leave some love, tell me what you think about it! Xoxo.**

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Chapter 8:

Six notches in my hunting knife later, we still hadn't run into any problems. I could still feel a little skepticism in the back of my head but I was trying to focus on optimism.

After that first night in the cabin, we didn't have any other issues with walkers that close. There were a few times when we ran into some when we were extending the boundaries around our cabin to hunt and scout but even then there was a surprisingly small amount.

"I feel like we should be runnin' into more walkers…" I murmur out loud one day when Daryl and I headed out towards the east to see if there was anything we hadn't already found in the previous excursions.

"Yeah, noticed tha'." He responded without turning around but paused his stride to look off to his right for a few beats. "Maybe this area been quiet for a long time, could be a good sign. They moved on to a different area."

He didn't sound too convinced himself and that left me questioning if we were actually as safe as we wanted to feel.

Daryl bagged a few squirrels and we headed back home, I set up the pit we had used to cook meat on previous nights while Daryl started cleaning them. My squeamish stomach had definitely gotten stronger living in such close quarters to Daryl. He was so brash, every minute of every day. Any modesty or properness I had been raised with felt like it had been spit on by living with Daryl. I had to remind myself to not scold him much, he never saw anything wrong with what he was doing.

He staked the squirrels on some branches and placed them over the fire I had built.

"Don' ferget to set the barrier up this way, since the wind is blowing in from the northwest gotta protect the flame." He muttered, and I smiled at him even though he wasn't looking up from his work.

"You don't deserve the 'bad boy' title." I state, leaning back against some rocks and started on sharpening my hunting knife. I see him lift his eyes to look at me with his brow furrowed in confusion.

"'S'cuse me?"

"The whole "I'm bad, stay away" persona. You ain't like that." I say confidently, slicing away at my knife without making eye contact again. I hear him cough out a laugh.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" He took the bait and I smiled again to myself.

The squirrels crackled in the background but I grew very aware of how close we were. I hadn't felt what I had felt in the prison since it fell, probably because we were so focused on surviving that I hadn't been allowed the luxury of fretting about a crush. But now, with an established safe house and several days without alarm the feelings started creeping back up.

"You seem rough, and ya kinda are but you're a good person. You do the right things, you just don't show boat it."

"Feel like ya know me or somethin'?" He quips back and I know not to take that personally. It's his wall that I inevitably bump into almost conversation.

"I bet I do!" I sing at him, tossing a grass clump at him playfully and he knocks it away mid air.

"Hey there darlin', don't be startin' a fight ya can't win." He was playing back but my breath got caught in my throat. I almost drop my knife and I can't stop the tightening on my heart. Darlin'. That was what Jason calls me. Called me, past tense is the more proper usage. I lean my head back and stare at the stars above us to keep any inkling of tears from escaping my eye sockets.

"Sorry." I hear Daryl murmur and I knew he had picked up on the issue.

"S'okay. Don't apologize." I stand up and sheath my knife. "They're almost done right?" I motion towards the squirrels and he nods solemnly, poking at them with a twig. I nod in agreement. "Okay, well I'm gonna take a cursory walk to make sure the few alarms are still up and working." I start walking off. I wait for him to call out for me to not go too far but I don't hear anything.

To the sound of my feet crunching softly through the brittle grass, my feelings were swirling. I felt bad ruining our playful moment but I couldn't help the involuntary feeling that had crept up on me when I heard him use that name.

I had done well not thinking about him. I wasn't sure why, with everyone else like Maggie, Rick and the others, I was so confident that they were alive. Even with Daryl muttering his doubts, I was sure that they had made it out. But Jason, my confidence wasn't nearly as strong. If I was being honest, I assumed he was dead. Maybe it was easier on myself that way. Thinking he was alive made it all too dangerous for me to be wrong. And I didn't want to think one thing only to find out that it was the other thing all along. Assuming his death happened a month ago and trying to move on with that was easier than not knowing if he was alive out there or not. That may be cowardly, but I couldn't handle the other option.

Walking up to a fishing line, almost invisible, I reach down to touch it to see how tight the string still was to ensure its effectiveness. It passes my test and I move onto another one nearby while I'm out this way.

I almost reach the second trap when I hear a rustling off to my right. Immediately, I slink up to a nearby tree trunk and pull my knife out of its sheath. I take a deep breath like Daryl had showed me so I could focus on my hearing and the rustling had stopped. There was a small voice in the back of my head that pointed out that walkers don't just "stop". While I was focusing on trying to hear the same noise on my right, I had ignored the approach of a walker on my far left and didn't hear it until it was dangerously close.

It lunged at me from around the tree and I kept myself from letting out the shriek I wanted to, another tactic Daryl had made me learn quickly. Screaming out only attracted more bad attention, he would say. If I was in trouble, he would hear the struggling and come help. Only this time, he wasn't a few feet away from me like we normally were. Unfortunately, Daryl was at least 60 yards away focusing on our dinner and not where I was.

The walker's weight bared down on me and I felt my body giving away, I fell back onto the ground and shoved my knife up in between the walker's jaws to keep its dangerous biting ability away from me. I spread my knees wider to hold its weight above me as my arms shook with the exertion.

Taking a deep breath, I channeled all the strength I had left and shoved the walker oft top of me and instead rolled onto it slightly. Quickly, I removed my knife from its jaws and before it could lift its head towards me I shoved the knife deep into its forehead. The knife went it almost very easily and I could tell, after it quit moving, that the once living human was very decrepit and had obviously died a long time ago. Its skin was sagging and there was several injuries that looked like they had occurred after death. I wiped my forearm over my own forehead getting rid of the nervous sweat and dislodged my knife. Wiping the blade on the grass beside me, I looked at the walker's neck where something caught my eye.

My lips pressed together in a hard line as I used my knife to lift the walker's chin up so I could better view its neck. Sure enough, I saw a roughly rubbed line going around its neck. The skin had been ripped away from wear, like an abused dog with its collar too tight and tied to a stake. I sat there a few seconds more, staring at it wondering why there was a small pattern now connecting two different walkers. I heard grass crunching from behind me and I whipped around with my knife out and ready only to find an angry redneck staring back at me.

"What's wrong with ya? Somethin' happen? Been gone too long." He grumbled, lifting me up by my upper arm pretty roughly.

"I was checking this second alarm trap when it snuck up on me, is all." I dust my pants off and put my knife away.

"How the hell it snuck up on ya if you was payin' attention like I told ya." He turned around and I followed. With his comment reminding me, I looked up and scanned the nearby area.

"Thought I had heard somethin' else." Was all I responded with and Daryl grunted.

"Next time, you pay attention, alrigh'? Don't need no more blood on my hands."

I could tell he was being extra irritable and I usually chalked it up to his defense tactic about not wanting to care too much and I was sure that still had something to do with it but I couldn't help but wonder if he was still thinking about our last conversation.

We got back to the squirrels and ate in silence. Daryl put out the fire and we went inside and boarded ourselves in for the night. I laid down, determined to go to sleep soon so I wouldn't lay there listening to Daryl breathe which had become a habit of mine instead of sleeping.

I felt myself drifting off when I got a crazy sensation running up my back. I squirmed slightly to shake the stimulation but it was like an instinctual reaction to something but nothing was happening. I lifted my head to look around the room and Daryl was laying on his back 10 feet from me with his arm over his eyes like usual. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I couldn't get rid of the hair raising feeling I was getting. I shook my head to physically shake the feeling and laid my head back down to get some sleep. Go to sleep, I told myself. You're exhausted and your mind is playing tricks on you. I forcefully closed my eyes and focused on relaxing. It still took at least 30 more minutes before I felt myself drifting off.

…

The night was restless and I felt like I maybe got an hour or two of actual sleep. I opened my eyes but remained on my back when I woke in the morning. Staring at the ceiling, I wondered why last night of all nights I suddenly started having issues with paranoia.

"Ya tossed a lot las' night." I heard Daryl rumble from across the room where he was sitting up, eating. I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'm not sure why. I kept havin' that "I'm being watched" feelin'. It was weird." I admitted. I hated telling Daryl my insecurities, I was sure he already saw me as a weak link or a hinderance.

"Trustin' yer gut only does good. If ya got a good gut, and I bet ya do." I glanced over at him with a small smile on my face, Daryl didn't give compliments out very often and he avoided my eyes when I looked over.

"Thanks, make me feel less stupid."

"Ya ain't stupid. Don't say that. Let's go do a patrol lap to secure the closest boundaries."

I stood up and threw my jacket off from where it had been on me during the night, the southern heat was starting to become squelching even early in the mornings and I knew it was going to be another terrible summer. I rubbed my arms up and down a little, relishing in the feeling of bare skin against the air. Even though the summers were always so hot, I loved being dressed only in shorts and tank tops. Laying out on the lawn while I heard Shawn working the horses and Maggie banging around in the kitchen. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat over the sadness of times passed.

"Alright, let's go." I looked up to catch Daryl's stare and then he turned just as quick and took our barricade down and walked down the porch.

We walked in silence for awhile, neither wanting to interrupt the seemingly tranquil morning air. And of course, we both knew we had to listen hard for quiet steps in the forest that would alert us to an oncoming walker.

"What the hell…" Daryl growled and I looked around his shoulder to see what he was angry about. Laying there, almost as though it had been placed there, was a walker on top of one of our alarm traps. I walked up to it while Daryl made a cursory glance around us to make sure there weren't more, and I crouched to get a better look. Sure enough, there was a ring around its neck.

"Daryl, these walkers are all comin' from somewhere in common. They all got this ring 'round their necks like they were all caught on somethin' similar."

Daryl came over and crouched next to me, taking a look for himself.

"Might be a building or somethin' with a fence a little ways away from us that they're all comin' from. Could be a lot more stuck and that's why we ain't seen a lot 'round here."

I swallow hard and try to not let my imagination get carried away.

"But that ain't what's makin' me weird about this." He pushed the walker a little to see its position laying down.

"What's the matter?" I ask after he remained quiet for a bit.

"It don't look like it got caught. It ain't in a position like an animal usually is when it gets caught in a trap. No signs of struggle, no tanglin' mess. Nothin'."

I feel my forehead crease and I turn my attention back to the walker. Daryl was right, it was literally laying on top of the trap, not at all like it walked into it.

"What does this mean?" I ask him, worried that there was something bigger happening here that we weren't aware of.

"Means we ain't stayin' here as long as we thought. Let's head out tonight." He stood up abruptly, gave the walker a kick in frustration and trudged off. I stared at it a little longer, unsure what to make of this puzzle piece. Using my knife, I turned the walker over onto its stomach determined to figure it out. I looked it up and down several times and almost gave up when I finally saw what I was looking for. There, at the base of the skull, was a small but very obvious puncture. The cause of death. And as the pieces slowly started fitting together in my head, I felt the blood drain out of my face.

If this walker had been killed like that, it was by another completely alive human. And if it was killed, it couldn't have come into this trap on its own. And if it didn't come into the trap by itself, it was _placed here_.

"Oh God, Daryl…" I start to call out. Standing up from my crouch position, I start to head off in the direction I had watched him go in.

But then I felt the hand snake around my throat and mouth and I try to scream one more time before the hand completely covers my mouth. My eyes widen and I feel another arm wrap tightly around my arms and waist. This couldn't be happening.

I fight. Hard. I wriggle against the body behind me, kicking my feet behind me hoping to catch their knee or something weak. I throw an elbow behind me and catch a few ribs and then I'm constricted even harder that I feel like I can't fully breathe anymore.

"Knock it off, sweetheart. We got you." My eyes widen even more in horror at the voice. "Finally."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you, thank you to all my reviews/favorites/follows! To the guests who are leaving wonderful reviews I wish I could thank you personally! Just know that every review you leave, I jump up and down for. I love your feedback! Please enjoy my Daryl POV and the sudden twist in the plot line!**

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Chapter 9:

"Beth? Beth!" I kept yelling, I didn't care if a walker came and found me, anything that found me right now had a death wish because I wasn't going to hesitate bolting the next head I saw unless it was Beth's.

I checked back where I had last seen her and saw the struggle in the broken up leaves and twigs on the ground. Looking around on the ground, I tried finding where the foot imprints, much larger than Beth's, started leading off to. It took awhile, whoever it was had been conscious of their trail but years and years of tracking didn't allow them to get away from me completely.

Following the tracks, I realized it was only just one set of footprints. Not several. I felt my face twist in anger as I realized that she had gotten carried off by just one person. I thought I had taught her better, to be able to put up enough of a fight to at least protect herself against one person. She was strong, she knew better. How could that person sneak up on her so well that she wasn't able to be more prepared to fight them? Why hadn't she called out to me so that I could at least have come and saved her?

Then my anger shifted, and I knew it wasn't Beth's fault that she was taken. It was mine. How could _I _be so stupid? Just seconds after we both realized we weren't in a safe location, I just walk off without making sure she was on my heels like she's always supposed to be. I slam my fist into a nearby tree and I can feel like bit of the sudden anger filter out. A little.

I keep up the fast pace of my tracking, determined that I can find them soon if I keep at this pace and don't stop. They couldn't have gotten too far, and hopefully if she was still conscious and able to fight them it wouldn't be a quick trip for them. The trail suddenly took a hard left and I knew it was going towards thinner trees. Closer to a road. My throat tightened and I started running in the direction the tracks were leading. If they were headed towards a road, it was probably because they had a car waiting for them. If they got her in a car, I would never be able to find her again. My chest constricted and I refused to surrender to that possibility. I would find her. And soon.

…

Thirty minutes had passed and I still couldn't pick up the trail again. I had lost the tracks many yards back and had even retraced my steps until I last saw them but then they just…disappeared. I hated admitting it but I actually lost the trail. Voices of Merle and my old man haunted the back of my mind, taunting me and never letting me forget that I wasn't good enough. _Aw, come on baby brother. You can__'__t suck that bad, can ya? _Obviously, I thought to myself, I'm not good enough to keep just one girl alive. I stopped running around frantically and tried to gather my thoughts. But I couldn't. All I could think about was failing Beth. She just needed me to protect her and I failed her on the one job she truly needed me. I chewed on my bottom lip as I realized that she deserved to be with Jason, being the trained fireman he was he could probably have defended and protected her better than I could ever do. Better than I did.

Crushing my palms against my eyes, I tried to squelch the negative fire that was slowly building inside of me. Sitting here in self-pity wasn't going to save Beth any faster. Get your shit together, I yelled at myself. I crouched down and touched the last tracks I had sight of, they were light and I couldn't make sense of whoever had Beth. I assumed it had to be a man, and a big man at that. Not that Beth was large herself but a scrawny guy wouldn't be able to lift and carry another human being this far. But the tracks were so light as though whoever was making them was barely stepping into the ground. And then it clicked. Whoever took Beth knew what they were doing, they were good at living in the woods. I could hear the frustration let loose inside of me escaping out through my mouth as I figured out just how hard this had become.

Glancing up at the sky between the trees, I saw the orange hue of the evening arriving and I silently cursed knowing that this was about to get even harder. I had no intention of stopping tracking during the night, I just knew it would be extremely more difficult. But just stopping so I could get some rest was the pussy way of doing things and I owed Beth so much more than that.

I decided on continuing towards the thinning of trees, hoping that they weren't taking her to a car but hoping that their destination was the road. Keeping my eyes peeled for signs on nearby tree trunks of collisions or torn fabrics. For a long time, I didn't see anything until finally a glint of something caught my eye. I walked over to a piece of bark, barely sticking out of the tree but I saw a thin gold chain caught on it. I kneeled and swallowed a lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. It was the same gold necklace that Beth had worn since I had met her, with a small cross in the middle of it. I lifted it up off the bark so it wasn't caught anymore and I stared at it in the darkness, holding it up so the moonlight glinted off of it.

Allowing my lips to turn slightly into a smirk, I remembered all the times I gave her grief about still wearing jewelry in this world. Telling her she was gonna get it caught on something. I could appreciate the connection between me saying that and what she had just done if we weren't in such a shitty situation. I shook my head, refocusing.

Most importantly, I was going the correct way. But secondly, Beth was trying to help me. This hadn't been an accident, if her necklace would have been ripped off it would have happened when she was first taken and the struggle occurred. The trail I had been following wasn't showing any signs of struggle, which means she dropped the necklace on purpose. I felt my lip turn up a little at the thought of her cleverness. She was so damn smart. I had to save her.

…

Hours passed, and I used all my inner strength to keep the negative thoughts and shreds of doubt from overcoming me. The road, which I had thought they were headed towards, was much farther than I had originally thought. I had started making small nocks in substantial trees so that I wouldn't back track. Hating to admit it, I had no clue where I was going or where they might be taking her. I tried so hard to imagine where a nearby camp would be, listening for rivers or any sources of water is a good clue as to where people would hole up and stay.

Taking a person, no _kidnapping_ a person, wasn't something you did if you were far from where you wanted to take them. At least, not if you were on foot.

My eyes were dragging when I saw the first signs of morning, which was that the darkness was getting just a little lighter. If I had to guess, it was maybe 4 in the morning. The exhaustion from the lack of sleep was starting to affect my head and I thought that maybe I would be more useful if I had a few hours of sleep.

Pausing, leaning up against a tree I stared at the sky through the trees. I couldn't stop. Beth was out there with some bastard. Doing God knows what to her and I couldn't stop. The anger inside of me seemed to blaze throughout my whole body, igniting every fiber until I could see red.

Whoever thought that they could just take Beth like that was messing with the wrong fucking redneck. And when I caught up to them, I was going to rip the very limbs from their bodies and make sure they regretted ever taking her from me.

…

The sun was shining down on me through the trees and I didn't feel like I was anywhere nearer to Beth than I had hours ago. The track had been lost officially, whoever had her seemed to almost disappear into nowhere and I couldn't bring myself to stopping. So I just kept going in the direction I thought the tracks left off towards.

Coming up on a stream, I knelt down and cupped my hands in the water letting it run through my fingers. I splashed a little on my neck and face and then took a few drinks from my hands. The fact that I hadn't slept in over 24 hours at that point was wearing on me, especially after walking at least 15 miles within the night. Due to this, I wasn't aware of the footsteps that had come up behind me while I was kneeling at the river. So when I heard the click of a gun being loaded, I involuntarily whipped around reaching for my crossbow that I had left on the ground.

"Easy, Archer. No need for that." A guy about 10 years younger than me had his hands up with his palms facing me like he was trying to calm a wild animal. He was clean and well-kept, not much dirt on his clothes and his shoes weren't tattered. I eyed his friend who was the one wielding the gun I had heard and I narrowed my eyes, checking his stance to see if he meant his action. A part of me doubted it.

"Whaddya want?" I growled, annoyed that they had snuck up on me so well.

"Well, we've been watching you. And I'd like to know what you're tracking." The head honcho explained, I let my eyes flick over to his briefly before I went back to staring at the other with the gun.

"How 'bout you point that goddamn piece somewhere else less ya plan on actually usin' it." I spit at him and he sneers back.

"Heath, go ahead and relax your weapon. No need for that right now." The leader responds, while Heath waits a few beats and then lowers the gun. "Now, ya mind tellin' us what you're up to?"

"None of yer business. I got shit ta' do." I say, reaching for my crossbow and I see the guy named Heath raise his gun again, aiming right at my head.

"Don't even think about it, redneck." Heath warns and I stand up tall, stalking towards him.

"Why don't ya come say that to my face, ya little shit! Stand up like a real man and try tellin' me what ta' do!" I get up in Heath's face, feeling the anger roll off of me in waves and I silently dare him to make any move towards me. This was not the time to be testing me. Beth was out there and these pricks were holding me back from continuing to try and find her.

"Daryl, let's calm down. We don't want to hurt you, we just want to talk." The other man says again, his voice low and tranquil. I freeze and take a step back, staring at the man with cold eyes.

"How do ya know my name." It was a question but I said it so dead-like that it almost came across like a statement. He didn't respond and I got even more irritated. "Answer me, ya little prick!"

"I told you, we've been watching you, Daryl. We learned your name." He says and I can't keep from glaring at him. My gut feeling had been off with these two since the moment I saw them and I trusted that feeling.

"Why?" I ask simply, keeping an eye on Heath on my right while I stared at the other man, the leader.

"You were near our camp. We needed to check you out." He responds, coolly. No hesitation in his voice.

"Well sorry ta' disappoint ya' but leave me 'lone, gotta go." Suddenly I didn't care about these two anymore as I refocused on Beth.

"You should come with us, Daryl. You would fit in well with our camp. Our people. How we operate." The leader spoke up and I choked out a humorless laugh.

"No thanks." I reach down and grab my crossbow, ignoring Heath's twitch movement with his gun. I was convinced now that he wouldn't use it. I start walking off away from them and the creek, back in the direction I was originally heading in.

"What if I told you we have Beth?" The leader's voice echoed past me and I froze in mid-stride. I whipped around and glared at the man.

"If you did anythin' ta' her I'll kill ya both right here." I threaten. "Where is she?" I demand, staring into his cold eyes.

"She's okay, no need to worry. We took her back to our camp." No name responds, again his voice had almost no change in inflection at all.

"Ya take me to her. Now." I sling my crossbow over my shoulder and walk towards the leader.

"I can do that. But first, you gotta know that you both are welcome to stay at our camp."

"Be sure ta' consider that." I respond, agitated that he wasn't moving.

"I'm sure you'll like it," The man says, turning and walking away. "It's safe. Walls. Sanctuary, really." I grunt and stay right behind him so he'll continue with his pace. "You'll see once you get there."

"Just take me ta' Beth." Was all I said, watching out ahead of us trying to remember how to get to this camp in case I needed it in the future.

"We can do that," The man nods and glances back me. "Oh, by the way, the name is Gareth. Nice to meet you."

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**A/N: Reviews keep me writing! Xoxo. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Bless all of my readers! I have been gone for quite sometime and I am so sorry for that! I haven't given up on this story, I've just been busy with wrapping up my undergraduate degree! I officially graduated. Thank you for sticking with me, please leave some reviews/favorites/follows and I promise to start working on the next chapter right away! I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading :) Enjoy!**

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Chapter 10:

I had kept quiet like I had been told. My gut wasn't happy with being compliant but I was sure that their threat of killing Daryl was real. And so I went with the man who grabbed me seemingly out of thin air.

The thought of Daryl being killed, and because of me, was unbearable. So I hoped that when he had realized I was no longer following him and when he started tracking us that he would find my necklace.

"Hi there, Beth. How are you feeling?" A voice came from behind me in the tent that I had been placed. I jumped, not having heard them approach and my skin prickled. "I'm sorry to startle you. I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you were doing okay."

My hands were tied to a tent post and so I was unable to really turn and look at the source of the voice. But I heard the crunch of the dirt under their feet as they approached me within the tent and I felt my muscles tense even more. I was completely vulnerable and I hated my situation of not being able to defend myself in the least.

Finally, a face appeared to the right of me and I squinted to make out their facial features. It was an older man, maybe in his 50's or 60's. His voice was calming but I knew better than to take him at face value. I'm sure he was trying his hardest to come across trustworthy and that was the last thing I had in mind for these people who kidnapped me from Daryl.

"The name is Joe. Now I apologize for taking you in such a disturbing way. I knew there wasn't going to be any other way to get you and Daryl here otherwise."

I didn't like how much this man, Joe, seemed to know about us.

"How do you know our names?" My niceties had gone by the wayside a long time ago, being with Daryl. I was no longer the well-mannered Beth from the prison who was conscious of making her Daddy proud. Now it was all about survival.

Joe stared at me a few moments, seeming to study me up close now that he had a chance and I bristled at his unabashed staring. He seemed to notice my change in hostility and smirked.

"Daryl has taught you a lot." He murmurs and I feel a fire broil inside.

"Stop talkin' to me like you know us. You don't know us at all. Now answer me."

"Oh, I know you, Beth. And I know Daryl. You see, we wouldn't have lived this long had we not learned how to protect ourselves. And you protect yourself by knowing your surroundings like your own backyard. Our scouts saw you two walking this way a long time ago. I'm assuming you came from that large explosion to the south of us. That was a prison, wasn't it?"

A knot formed in my throat as those old, wonderful, happy memories tried to claw their way up from the hole I had placed them in. I shoved them back down and focused.

"I thought so. I'm thinking it's a safe bet that whatever it was no longer stands. Anyways, that cabin you and Daryl found was one of our safe houses. So we watched you. And determined that we would like to have someone of Daryl's skill on our side. That's where you come in."

I pressed my lips into a thin line.

"Why do you need Daryl?"

"Same reason you need him, sweetheart. He's good at protection. And we need all the protection we can…collect."

I felt my face twist in disgust as I heard how he talked about Daryl. Like he was an object. An item able to be taken and used. I now regretted not putting up more of a fight when I was taken, calling their bluff that they would kill Daryl if I resisted. I didn't want him following me here, these people were not good and now I've dragged us into a situation that I couldn't see how we were going to get out of without harm.

"And you think he cares about me enough to track me here and fall into your trap?" I ask, hoping that maybe he would take my bait and start to question his plan.

I knew Daryl would try and find me. Just the same as I would try and find him. We were team, we had become a unit being separated as we were. And we worked well together. The desperate life or death situation hadn't left any room for emotions. Our awkward encounters in the past seemed like years ago. And especially I had found Jason, our relationship had truly cemented into a strong friendship.

Joe laughed and it brought me out of my internal dialogue.

"Sweetheart, I'd bet my left eye that Daryl will be here within the day to find you. No doubt."

I bit my lip, unhappy with his certainty. If Daryl showed up here I was worried about how they were going to treat us. Something tells me that these aren't the kind of people who just pick you up, give you a nice bed to sleep in and let you become part of their community.

"What are you going to do with us if he shows up?" I inquire, doubtful that this Joe will even tell the truth.

Instead, he doesn't answer. He stands, brushes his pant legs and I can hear him retreat out of the tent. I consider yelling after him, giving him a piece of my mind and make sure realizes that I was a force to be reckoned with. But I just look down at my lap and hope that Daryl's actions follow his words and he takes off in self-preservation. I wasn't worth this, he needed to save himself.

…

It was dark the next time I heard commotion going on around me outside the tent. I had fallen asleep, slumped against the tent pole and cursed under my breath that I let my body fail like that. I didn't stay alert. Daryl would be angry at me.

I looked around, trying to find anything that I could use as a weapon. A piece of wood. Anything. I hated being tied up like livestock, unable to defend myself to anyone or anything. The floor was completely void of any object and I cursed under my breath. I rubbed my leg against the ground to my knife sheath and confirmed my fears that they had stripped me of all my weapons. I slouched against the pole and returned my attention to the surroundings.

Gravel was crunching outside the tent, and I tried to listen to see if the footsteps were approaching my area. Instead, the crunching stopped a little ways away and then I heard soft voices. I strained to try and catch words and finally could make out a little bit of the conversation.

"…coming this way?" A deep male voice sounded.

"Definitely. Gareth and Heath have their sights on him." Another, slightly higher voice.

"Good, good. Well I figure they should probably be on their way back by late morning. Be sure the team knows what's going on. We need to be ready to handle whatever he tries."

"You got it, Joe." Then the gravel started to crunch again and I squeezed my eyes shut.

They knew where Daryl was. And they were going to bring him here. The place where I was tied up as a hostage.

I sat there staring at the dirt ground, trying to piece together any type of plan so that I was prepared when Daryl arrived. I had to come up with a sign that would alert Daryl that we needed to get out as soon as possible.

Thinking back to when I was grabbed from our little house in the meadow, I hoped that I could find my little breadcrumbs I had left as I walked to the compound. Even though I was going complacently, I could hear Daryl's voice in my head to not trust them at all so I made small breaks in the twigs or scraps of my shirt stuck in the thorny shrubs so that we could at least make a straight shot away from their compound. We could make it back to the house, collect everything we needed from there and get back on the road so that we could get as far away as possible from these nut cases.

My stomach dropped when I realized that my get away plan was perfect, except the part that I hadn't figured out most importantly: how we were going to get out of their grasps in the first place.

Leaving in the middle of the night was the best bet, most people would be sleeping. But it would be naive of us to think that they didn't have a good patrol going on either. I didn't know enough about this compound to understand where their priority watch goes or how many people they have staffing the perimeters at all times. Hell, I didn't know anything past this tent.

I bit my lower lip as I started to realize that the best plan for Daryl and I was maybe having to stay in this group long enough to learn about them so we could strategically escape. It wasn't a great plan, ideally we would leave the second Daryl saw me but I knew that wasn't going to end well. Our only hope was to blend and belong, just long enough to ensure that our escape would work and we could get back to trying to find the others from the prison. Or at least back to being out on our own.

With the decision made, I decided that the next time Joe or anyone else visited me in the tent I would be on my best behavior. They needed to know I wasn't a threat and hopefully they wouldn't feel the need to keep me tied to a pole inside a tent. The quicker they trust me, the quicker I can get an escape planned and executed.

…

I woke up to a lot of movement around the tent. My heart rate automatically quickened, thinking the worst and that walkers had gotten into the compound and I was left tied to a pole. When I didn't hear panic attached to all the movement I tried to calm my self.

Listening outside, I could hear one main voice directing most of the action. It sounded like the man named Joe again.

"Hide those. Right now, put them back there."

"Joe, where do you want us?"

"Stay out of sight. Keep our number appearance low. No need to show all the cards at once."

The tent flap whipped open and I heard steps approaching me from behind.

"Well, sweetheart. It's show time." Joe's voice sounded and finally he came into view. I looked up at him, with my best doe like expression.

"What's goin' on?" Joe squatted down next to me after I finished my question.

"Daryl has arrived. But we need to make this a very smooth transition, okay?" He stared right into my eyes, and I looked away to appear complacent. "So don't try anything crazy and this will all go down easily." He righted himself and brushed the legs of his pants.

"Please, don't hurt him."

"That's not up to me, sweetheart. That's up to Daryl." And he walked out the tent. I swallowed the lump that had formed and squeezed my eyes shut. If anything happened to Daryl, I wouldn't know how to continue. He had been my rock for so long now. He had taught me not only how to survive, but I started to thrive in this life under his wing. I put 110% trust into him and losing someone like that would tear me apart. I couldn't bear to think of it. I just hoped that Daryl would be brought to me and we could figure this out together.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello again! If you're still reading this, bless you. I had taken an unexpected halt in this story and I can't express how sorry I am for the break! I hope you'll forgive me, and keep reading! I plan to have the next update within the next few days, promise! Please enjoy, and please keep reading even though my update time is bad I will ALWAYS continue updating!**

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Chapter 11:

I counted for ten minutes until I lost track of where I was at. But I hadn't seen or heard much of anything since Joe had left my tent, warning me that Daryl was here in the compound. My heart rate couldn't slow down and I was left thinking the worst.

I tried to drown out the terrible thoughts running through my mind of how their meeting could go wrong. Finally deciding that silence was better than yelling and chaos, I hoped that whatever was happening wasn't going to end with Daryl in trouble.

It had to have been at least another ten minutes before I finally heard approaching gravel crunching. My head snapped up to attention and I bent my head around to the entrance of the tent to try and hear how many people were coming. I heard three distinct sets of footsteps, one of them slightly lighter as if they were better at staying silent.

"Just a few minutes," A smooth but stern voice spoke at the entrance of the tent and I heard the flap open and then swing shut.

Movement to my right made me tilt my head to see my visitor.

"God dammit," A gruff, southern drawl murmured in the air and I made eye contact with Daryl. He dropped to his knees and examined my bindings behind the pole.

"You're tellin' me." I mumble but give him a small smirk that he doesn't return. "You shouldn't have come. I don't think these are good people." I keep my voice low to him, knowing he wouldn't have trouble picking it up and I wanted to keep whatever privacy we had right now officially private.

"They ain't." He mumbled back, I could feel his hands on my wrists wrestling with whatever had my hands together.

"They're not stupid, they'll check to see if I'm still bound once you leave."

"Just loosenin' it. So you can get out once you get tha' chance."

"Daryl, you need to get out of here. They don't have you as a prisoner. Leave." The seriousness in my voice, abandoning all playfulness I had earlier when I greeted him, made him look up and make clear and direct eye contact with me.

"I ain't leavin' ya here. I'm gonna get us outta here, but we gotta stay on their terms, got it?" He sat back on his heels, still squatting near me so that our eyes were level. I felt my mouth twist in disbelief.

"That Joe seems smart. He knows a lot about us." I murmur, glancing at the entrance of the tent to make sure we were still alone.

Daryl grimaced and gave a small nod.

"The guy I was brought in by seems pretty smart…but we ain't stayin' here and whoever tries ta' stop me is gonna get the wrong end of a crossbow."

I glanced around him, realizing his crossbow wasn't on him and he seemed to notice my searching.

"They took all my weapons at the entrance. Saw the building they keep 'em in."

Suddenly, a voice boomed from the entrance of the tent and I jumped a little in surprise. They ordered Daryl to come on out.

Daryl moved his eyes back to mine and we stared for a few moments.

"Stay alert. Don't let yer guard down, alrigh'?" He whispers to me and I panic, not wanting him to leave me again. Not here in this tent, all by myself. I didn't trust a single soul in this place aside from Daryl, and I wanted nothing more than to just run off with him into the woods.

"Don't leave me." I cry out softly, I know how pathetic I sound and I'm sure Daryl hates that I appear so weak but my mental stability was wavering having been in this tent without being released for 2 days now straight. Letting me see Daryl and then pulling him away was a smart tactic, I couldn't handle him leaving. I needed him by my side. All the time.

Daryl stopped moving, then turned back towards me. He knelt down, closer this time. I saw his hand twitch like he was going to lift it and place it on me but I could see the battle going on in his eyes. Apparently, his stoic and detached side won out and he let his hand fall completely by his side.

"Don't go gettin' soft on me." His voice was soft and his words slightly lightened me up. "That ain't how ya been all these months since the prison. Yer' strong. Don't start givin' up now."

The voice boomed again, stronger and more threatening. Daryl stood and I could feel the resentment rolling off of him as he was forced to follow the orders. Before he turned completely, he lifted his hand and pointed at me. He didn't say anything, just pointed with his elbow slightly bent like he was Uncle Sam. But the gesture meant so much. It meant we were a team. That we were in this together. He wasn't leaving without me, and I wasn't leaving without him.

I didn't sleep. I refused to eat. I saw two more sun rises in the tent and I was starting to get worried that something had happened without me hearing it. Where was Daryl? Why was I still tied up in this damn tent? I hadn't seen Joe since before Daryl and the only human contact was a mean-eyed teenager who brought me my rations. He didn't say anything to me, nor I him.

My head started to loll to the side from lack of adequate rest when I heard a voice. It was arguing, it's volume raised just above normal conversational tone. It wasn't Daryl's voice, and my heart dropped when I determined that fact. However, I recognized it. It had been a long time since I had heard it but I knew it.

"Beth? Is that really you?"

Jason.

I peered my head to the side, not truly believing this random almost too good to be true coincidence.

"…Jason…?" My voice was scratchy from its lack of use and I squinted at him in the dark of the tent, still not completely believing it was him.

He dropped to his knees quickly and started undoing my hands. "Shit, Beth. I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

The sweet release of the rope away from my wrists sent blood rushing to my hands and felt stronger with this new freedom. I rubbed my wrists and continued to stare at Jason, expecting an explanation.

He placed his hands on either side of my shoulders and I felt the easy, comfortable feeling of familiarity. I felt my head go instinctively to his shoulder and he wrapped me tight in his arms.

"Beth, oh Beth. You're okay now. I've got you." He rubbed my back as I tried collecting my thoughts. I still couldn't understand the connection. And even though I thought I may need more rest before doing anything else I felt myself straighten up and look into Jason's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, my voice is almost dead-panned and the emotion I had felt moments ago had been replaced with suspicion. My stomach turned and tightened, expecting the catch to make itself known anytime now.

"Beth, it's me. Jason." His voice is slightly softened by the hurt and he reaches out to touch me again.

"I know who you are, tell me why you're here. Are you a prisoner, too?" This was a technique Daryl had taught me. First ask questions you know the answers to. I know that Jason couldn't be a prisoner otherwise he wouldn't be in here undoing my bindings. He also hadn't been accompanied because I couldn't see any figures waiting outside the tent. If you know the answer, then you can know if the person lies to you or if you can trust their honesty.

Jason stared at me for a few more moments and then let out a breath. "No, I'm not a prisoner Beth. This is my camp."

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**Please leave a comment! I hope you're all still reading :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This story is definitely some very different turns, I'm not keeping with the Walking Dead storyline at all at this point. Hopefully you like it, the feedback I'm getting is that it's neat to read something that you don't already know what's going to happen. So that's what I'm going for here :) I promise to have Bethyl interaction soon, but you've got to miss them first, right? Leave some love to encourage quicker updates!**

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Chapter 12:

"I'm sorry, what?" My voice came out much harsher than I had planned but I just couldn't piece together or make any kind of sense of the words that Jason was saying.

"I know these people, Beth." Jason's voice came out strong and steady, possibly trying to counteract mine with its slight note of hysteria.

"How?" I glance around the tent and behind us to quadruple check the entrance to ensure that we were still alone.

"Well, when the prison went down…I ran straight into their compound. The rest is basically history."

I sat there, staring into Jason's eyes, searching them. I needed to find something, anything, that solidified all of this and made me feel completely safe. But I hadn't achieved that trusting state yet. Maybe Jason didn't really know what kind of people they were. They've kept me locked up for days, there's no way he would be stay in this place if he knew what I had just been through.

"Jason, these aren't good people." I darken my voice, hoping to get across the concern I had. I saw his face twist a little in confusion and almost, I thought I saw a hint of defense.

"Beth, you don't even know them. They've been great to me."

"You're right, I don't know them. I haven't had the pleasure given that I've been tied up in this tent. Maybe now we can all go have a good dinner and sit around a campfire and share stories."

Jason's lips pursed together. "I'm not sure why this," He gestured to my hands and the tent in general. "Happened. At all. There had to have been concern about your threat to the compound itself."

"Threat?" My voice rose in pitch slightly. "Threat! I was kidnapped, Jason! Believe me when I say that I don't and I won't trust these people!" He raised his hands in a motion to placate me and I suddenly remembered a very important piece of the puzzle.

"Daryl." I whispered, almost desperately.

Jason's face furrowed and I saw a flash of hurt mixed with…jealousy?

"What?" He asks back, but he doesn't do a good job pretending to really care.

"Daryl is here! Where is he? Haven't you seen him? He came here a few days ago. He came in here and saw me, and talked to me and - " Jason stood up in the middle of my sentence and extended his hand to me.

"Beth, we can talk about this in my room. Let's get you out of here, come on darlin'." My heart squeezed when I heard his pet name for me and the panic that had been rising through my chest seemed to die down.

I grasped his hand and let him lift me up onto my feet. He pulled me into his chest and I melted slightly, letting my brain shut off for a moment. I let him lead me back to his room and when I laid down on his bed I felt the haziness that the lack of sleep had slowly been surrounding my consciousness finally take over. The last thing I could remember was feeling Jason's weight lift off the bed slightly and I sleepily turned to where he had been and fell into sleep.

Opening my eyes seemed to be such a hard thing to do. I felt like I was muddling through a fog and that my eyes were packed shut with sand. I felt around my surroundings and determined I was in a bed of some sort. My hand ran into a body and I jerked my torso upright and snapped my eyes open. I was reaching subconsciously for my knife that I always kept near my ankle within my boot but I realized that I was not even wearing shoes. Then I started to realize my entire outfit had changed and I looked down at my self with confusion. Then I heard his chuckle.

"Darlin', you've changed a bit since the prison." I returned my sight to the "body" next to me and felt my mouth turn upright when I saw Jason lying there, his head propped up on hand. I ran my hands up and over my bare legs until they hit the shorts I was wearing.

"Did you change my clothes?" I ask, laying back down and scooting just a little closer to him.

"I felt bad seeing you there sleepin' in your filthy clothes that had blood on them. You deserved a fresh set of clothes to at least sleep in." He responded, reaching his hand up to brush my cheek. The touch of human contact, contact that had the essence of desire, had been so absent from my life I felt myself starved of the affection.

"I can't believe you were able to move me around enough to change my clothes and I didn't even stir. I thought I was better than that." I quietly admonished myself, hating that all those months outside the prison hadn't lasted with me.

"You were pretty out of it, dangerously exhausted. I'm surprised you're not still sleeping."

Then it hit me. The topic of the conversation that I had been trying to have with Jason before he led me back to his bed and let me pass out.

"Jason, where's Daryl?" I implored, letting my eyes bore down into his face.

"Daryl from the prison? He's still alive?"

I bristled at the question. Though I'm sure Jason meant it as though he hadn't assumed many made it out of the prison at all, he should know that if anyone is going to survive this terrible apocalypse then it would be Daryl Dixon. He's going to be the last man standing. I was sure of it.

"Yes, from the prison." I huffed.

"I have no idea where he's at, I haven't seen him since the prison. Beth, why would you think I would know where he was at?" I gaped at him, this didn't make sense.

"Because he was here, Jason."

"Darlin' I don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure it wasn't a dream or somethin'?"

"What? No. No, I did not dream it. He came into the tent to check on me. He had been escorted there by some people in the compound. He was led away after just a few moments of us talking."

Jason stared at me, his eyebrows starting to pull together in a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Beth," His voice had that tone to it that you use on crazy people to appear non-threatening. I stood up and away from his pity tone.

"Jason, I know what I remember."

"But Beth, just listen to me for a second. How could he be here without me even knowing it?" Jason stood and walked towards me, his arms opening slightly inviting me into him. But then something clicked for me.

"Ask Joe!" I was positive he would know where Daryl was, where they had put him as a prisoner.

Jason's mouth turned down slightly at the corners. "Okay, darlin'. We can go talk to Joe."

I was satisfied that he didn't seem to fight me on this anymore. I looked around, trying to find the exit so we could get to it but Jason stood in front of me again.

"We'll go after you sleep a little bit more. I'm glad you're feeling up to anything right now but you were severely exhausted and I don't want you suffering from that. Go back to sleep - " I opened my mouth to argue but he held his hand up almost blocking my mouth, it was so close.

"We'll go right when you wake up, but not before that. Okay?" I paused, thinking over his proposal. I didn't want to postpone finding Daryl but it was almost a knee-jerk reaction when Jason mentioned my exhaustion that I yawned. Hesitantly, I moved towards his bed and sat down on it. The comfort was so overwhelming that I knew I could fall asleep within minutes.

And that's when Daryl's face popped into my head. His look of defeat when I turned to see him finding me tied up and when he fell to his knees. The last glint in his eyes when he started heading out of the tent while he pointed at me. I missed him. I missed my friend.

The loneliness squeezed my chest hard, and in order to cover it up I laid down on the bed and reached for Jason. Pulling him down onto the bed with me, I curled into his chest. If i just focused on this moment I wouldn't start crying in frustration about Daryl.

Birds were singing. I felt my head lighten as though I was coming above water and everything started to flood my senses. I opened my heavy eyes slowly and saw Jason laying there next to me. I felt my lip curl up slightly in a smile as I watched him sleep. I waited a few moments and then started to reach my hand out to his cheek.

"Mornin', darlin'." He murmured, his eyes staying closed.

"How did you…?" I hear myself say incredulously and he chuckled deeply.

"Your breathing is different when you're unconscious and sleeping than when you're awake and alert. I've just been relaxin' here next to you until you woke."

"That's pretty boring." I say, and start to stretch my limbs one by one hearing the popping and grinding of my joints.

"You sound like an old woman." He responds and reaches out to engulf me in his arms. "I missed you." He whispers into my hair and the memories flood back.

"And you haven't answered any of my questions." I say, staring at him until he finally opens his eyes and meets my stare.

"You're right, lay them on me."

"How long have you been here?"

"I already answered that, remember?" He responds softly. I didn't remember him saying that but apparently I've been in and out of it for a few days. "I ran right into their compound when I was running after the prison was overrun. They took me in."

I felt my brow furrow together and decided to honor my gut feeling about that.

"But then why did they tie me up like a dangerous criminal?" Jason took a few moments before answering.

"I don't think they trusted who you were with."

"Daryl." I say, and his name makes my insides twist painfully. I needed to find him. Make sure he was okay. "Where is he?"

"Beth," Jason starts to sit up and I do the same. Keeping with his level, I was determined to get an answer this time.

"What? Is he okay? Is he alive? Is he hurt?" The questions keep pouring out of my mouth as I keep thinking of different scenarios that could have happened with Daryl.

"Darlin', I can't answer any of those for you." His answer frustrates me and I want to stomp my foot like a child.

"And why not?"

"Because we haven't seen him. I haven't seen him since before the prison fell." His voice was smooth and strong, as though he were trying to break this news to me as well as possible. I shook my head slowly.

"No. No, that's not right. It can't be." My thoughts are desperately trying to connect the timeline of when I had seen Daryl and how long ago that had been now. Was that 2 days ago? Or was it 4 days ago? Had it already been a week since I had seen him in my prisoner tent?

"Beth, you're not listenin'. Nobody has seen Daryl since you got here. He wasn't brought in with you."

"I know he wasn't. Because I was kidnapped."

"You were rescued." And at that, my mouth dropped.

"Rescued? I didn't need rescuin'! I was with Daryl, I was as safe as I could possibly be!" There was a fire in me that burned to protect Daryl's honor as a fighter. But when I saw Jason's face drop the fire died down a little. I raised my hand up to his face so that his eyes met mine again.

"Daryl kept me safe all those months. We didn't see a single soul from the prison. If it weren't for him, I'm not sure I'd be alive right now."

"Have more faith in yourself, darlin'." Jason softly admonished but then he knelt his face down to mine. "But I'm more than grateful he kept you safe when I couldn't."

It was then that I felt his lips touch mine and I let myself close my eyes and melt into the kiss. It had been so long since I had felt this kind of connection with someone. Daryl and I had barely touched, not even friendly hand holding or a brush of the arm. I realized I was a person that very much craved that kind of physical connection. Because in this moment I forgot everything else that we had been talking about and solely focused on the way Jason's lips felt on mine.

His hands roamed from my shoulders down my waist and I scooted closer to him. Our kiss grew in intensity and as our tongues intertwined, I reached my arms up so that they wrapped around his neck. I pressed my chest up against his and I felt him sigh within our kiss. I started to feel him below the belt of his jeans and my stomach erupted in butterflies. My hungry hands moved to the hem of his shirt and he lifted his arms so that I could easily slip it off.

A few moments later and we were both topless, our hands exploring each other and reveling in the company of one another. I bit my lip, considering my next move and then I seemed to move without thinking. As my hands touched his belt and started unhooking it, our eyes met. And even though I didn't stop moving, there was something emotional there between us that hadn't been there before.

At that same moment, Daryl was crashing through the underbrush. His only intent was to get as far away from the other guy as quickly as he could. He made sure to keep his path on an arc so that he wouldn't lose track of the compound's location but he knew that if he didn't get away from his captor that he wouldn't see the light of day again. As he ran, he subconsciously reached behind him and touched the cool metal of the handgun he had lifted off one of the guards before him and his captor had left. He didn't have his crossbow but he felt a little better having some type of weapon. He would need it when he went back. Because he wasn't about leave Beth with those people. She had no idea what they were capable of.

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**A/N: You may be frustrated with how spotty Beth's questions are. But I'm doing this on purpose, she's very confused and just like many people can have a hard time following one line of questioning without getting distracted down another line. Stick with her, she'll get her answers eventually :) Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay, so let me preface this in response to my reviews from last chapter. First of all, thank you so much for reading and taking the time to review. I appreciate all feedback. However, I think there was some confusion as to the origin of Jason and why Beth was so quick to be with him. They had a relationship in the prison, he was with her on that level when her and Daryl have only ever known friendship. Please go back and read those chapters if you're confused about their relationship! If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out to me! I love all my reviews and readers, you're the reason I keep writing. Enjoy this chapter, I have a feeling you will like this one even more so :) **

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Chapter 13:

The next morning I awoke in a fog once more.

How could I still be tired? I understood being severely exhausted for the first few days when I was a prisoner but now after two days of good rest?

I didn't feel Jason next to me in his bed and I tried piecing together everything I knew up to this point.

When I looked down I realized a few pieces of my clothes were on the floor, and I felt my eyes grow wide. What happened? I felt the pressure rise in my throat as I frantically looked around the bed for other clues. Specifically a condom wrapper. There wasn't one. That didn't necessarily mean anything though.

I felt tears start to prick my eyes and I laid back down. Maggie had told me once, after she had done it with her high school boyfriend, that a woman just knew when she had had sex. Whether it was a glow, or a warm feeling inside, she knew.

I didn't have any of those feelings. I wasn't sore. Nothing. The pressure started yield off of my chest slightly but not entirely. I wasn't sold.

_Then quit actin' like a helpless dumb girl an' go git yer answers._

I froze, his voice came so clear in my head. He obviously wasn't here sitting next to me, but that's what it felt like. Daryl's lessons in the past seemed to be coming out of my subconscious to get me out of this fog.

Getting out of bed, I grabbed my clothes with shame and dressed quickly. As I moved to the door of the tent, I bumped right into Jason.

"Mornin' darlin'. Hey I've got a new book that I think - "

"Did we have sex?" My old self would have blushed at this outright, and albeit very brash, question. But this was an important matter that I needed answered right away. That and several more questions that didn't seem to be getting answered. Daryl's voice was right, I'm a force to be reckoned with and I was tired of being look over.

Jason's face gave away his shock but he cleared his throat and gestured me inside. For the first time since I had been in this compound, I found my strength and stood up for myself. I shook my head.

"No, I need this answered now. Right here. It's real simple, yes or no." I crossed my arms to hide the shaking of them. I was finding my strong self again, it seemed to have gone by the wayside the last few days and I loved the feeling I was getting. It was the same feeling I got when I had seen Daryl smile at me for doing a good job, whether it had been a good shot against a walker or when I had gotten my own self out of a sticky situation.

"Uh, well, no. We didn't."

"You're sure?"

"Of course I am. Beth, you weren't acting right. I would never." I felt myself sigh audibly, the pressure that had been strangling me from the inside out since I had woken up finally dissipated. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not. I feel like I've been submerged in water. I shouldn't still be this tired still at this point. Where's Joe, I'm going to go talk to him." I pushed past Jason and started walking throughout the camp. I heard Jason chase after me.

"Beth, wait. This isn't the way it should be done - "

I turn on my heel and he almost runs into me.

"I'm fighting for myself now, Jason. Daryl was here. If he isn't here anymore then I need to know where he went. He deserves that much from." And much more, I tell myself.

Taking a few more steps and suddenly my head swings and my stomach lurches. I stop and bend over, my arm wrapping around my stomach.

"Darlin', you're not looking too good. Why don't you head back and sleep a little more?" Jason places his hand on my back but I step away.

"No." My voice is low, and its meaningful. I'm not sure where this sickness came from all of a sudden but last night I had a dream of Daryl out in the forest by himself running. I wasn't there with him and I felt panicky during the whole dream. There wasn't much else to it, but it started to come back to me in pieces within the last few minutes.

I had to find Daryl.

—

Leaning on a desk, Joe is flipping through a book when I find him.

"Hey." My voice isn't as strong as it had been and I curse my head and stomach for betraying me and not working with me. "I have some questions that need answered."

Joe looks up and I see him smirk. I was beginning to think there wasn't much that would surprise this guy.

"Sounds like you have your spirit back. But you're not lookin' too good, sweetheart."

"Where's Daryl." I was tired of everyone's bullshit.

Joe held my gaze for a few beats. "I've never really been a desk man." He says, brushing his hands on top of the desk. "Seems like something people always hide behind, you know? Doesn't speak much for confidence."

"Where's. Daryl." I repeat. And Joe sighs, almost like this is an inconvenience for him.

"Jason told me you've been asking about Daryl." I ground my teeth, steaming that nobody seemed to give a straight answer.

When he realized I wasn't going to say anything he sighed and continued.

"Beth, what he's told you is correct. Daryl has never been here."

"Bullshit! You're lying!" The words escaped my mouth without me even thinking about it. But I was happy with my response. "You know exactly who I am talking about!"

"You're right," Joe responds, stepping away from the desk to set the book down. "I know about Daryl. But that's not what you're asking. You're asking if he was ever here, and he wasn't."

"I'm not asking that," His words were twisted and I suddenly wondered if he was a politician or something like that before the world fell. He was dark, dirty and grungy. Kind of like a politician. "I'm asking where he is now because he was here. He visited me in the tent."

"Sweetheart, you've been out of it for days. I'd lay odds that you dreamt it. Or even worse, hallucinated it."

I wanted to stomp my foot again.

"You're lying." I growl. However, my resolve seemed to shake slightly. This is the second person to tell me he was never in the compound. Maybe I did imagine it? I have been exhausted, and dreams can seem so real sometimes…

_Don't you dare fall fer' that shit. _

My head snaps up when that voice comes soaring through my head. My heart squeezes and I'm revived a little more. Daryl needs me to figure this out.

"I know he was here, and I know you're lyin'. I'm not sure why. But you best start answering my questions truthfully." Joe's eyebrows raised, like he's amused and my anger flares.

"Really? Well, I'll admit I admire your confidence. You're not a desk girl, are you?" His nonchalance infuriates me.

"I'm not an idiot. Tell me the truth." I seethe.

"But I've told you the truth, you can accept it or not. That's not my problem." He turned his back and my eyes saw red.

Unfortunately, I also saw the ground. I had suddenly turned and start vomiting, my stomach completely giving up its whole contents.

That's when I saw it. A very small, round white pill. It had come up with the bile. I hadn't eaten much in the last few days. Whatever that was, hadn't been digested because of the lack of food.

_Easy. Play close to yer' chest remember?_

His voice couldn't have come at a better time. Without his subconscious coaching, I knew I would have turned and confronted the two men. Jason still standing behind me, I raised my head so that they wouldn't catch me staring at it.

"I think you're right, I need to go lie down." I whisper to Jason, and I can see the relief stretch across his face. He glances at Joe and nods.

"Sweet dreams, sweetheart. Hope you get to feelin' better." And he turns away. I stare at him for a few moments, knowing that the next time I saw him, I would kill him.

—

Dark. I never slept, I went back with Jason to his room but told him I think I wanted to be alone for awhile. To rest. Reluctantly, he had left.

Once I had heard his footsteps walk away, I got out of the bed and started searching his room.

My stomach twisted and turned, but thankfully it was more out of hunger than the pills I had apparently been slipped over the last few days. How could I have even been drugged and not known it? I suppose that's what most people who have been drugged say, though. You never know it until after it happens.

Why would they need to drug me? My throat formed a lump when my brain came to the first, obvious reason people get drugged.

But Jason had said no. We hadn't done anything I would regret the night before. And after all the months we had been together in the prison, I had come to know his characteristics. And I was very sure he hadn't been lying to me about that. On the other hand, I wasn't totally sold that he was being truthful about Daryl.

So that brought me to the next possible conclusion for drugging. To keep me compliant? So that I wouldn't be a trouble?

I shook my head, I could figure this out with Daryl. But I had to find him. I hadn't been trusting my gut, and the first thing my gut felt when I had woken was that this wasn't a place to be. I had to get out of here and find Daryl.

Jason didn't have much in his tent. The bed and a few bags. He had books stacked along the sides of the tent. I ignored those. That time of our relationship was over.

I rummaged through the bags, I needed to find a weapon of any sort. My ankle felt empty without its knife there. Maybe when he had changed me and found my knife, he had just put it somewhere in here?

Nothing. I was coming up with nothing.

_You don't need no damn knife ta' keep ya' safe. _I heard him growl inside my head.

At the end of my search, I had found a pen. It was a pretty sturdy one, one that belonged an important desk. But it would do if it came down me or someone else.

Under the cover of darkness, I crept out of Jason's tent. I had no idea where he was, but if I kept out of sight and along the perimeter of the camp I could probably get out.

Then I remembered Daryl mentioning that they had taken his crossbow. Assuming he was either still trapped in this compound or that they had taken him outside, he probably didn't have it with him.

I crept along the side of the compound, they kept it dark within the area, I'm sure to keep away walker attention.

The tent that kept all the weapons was surprisingly easy to find, simply because of the added personnel protecting the entrance. I had no doubt that the two men who flanked the front of the tent were there because they didn't allow open access to their weapons.

My brain went into overdrive trying to figure out a way to get that away from there long enough so that I could run in and run out.

With some stroke of luck, I didn't have to do anything. There was sudden commotion and another voice called the names of the two who must have been guarding the tent.

They went running in another direction away from the tent, part of me worried what the commotion was that they would abandon that post but I didn't want to waste any more time than I already had.

I dashed inside the tent and was astonished by the amount of weaponry that I found. These were really not good people, they had enough artillery to arm more than a hundred people I was sure of it. How did they get all of this? They couldn't have just found it…

They got a hold of it by capturing people like Daryl and I. And I was about to take back what was ours.

I peeked back outside the tent to double check my points before running out of it with Daryl's crossbow, his bolts as well as my knife and second crossbow. I wasn't sure who's it had been but I knew we would make better use of it than it sitting in the hands of these people.

Whatever the commotion was, it had gathered a lot of attention which was even better because I snuck to the backs of everyone. However, I was forgetting something.

I dove behind a tent and scrunched down. Daryl had taught me how to load and shoot his crossbow once. I wasn't an expert at it by any means but I truly hoped it was like riding a bike. I knocked the bolt and pulled all my strength. His draw weight was a lot more than I would have had if I had my own crossbow but I managed it. Proud of my accomplishment and glad that I thought to have a loaded weapon I jumped back up and slung the second crossbow and bolts across my back.

It was comforting having them slam against my back as I ran. It was like a piece of Daryl was with me even though he personally wasn't. They had the whole compound lined with barbwire, it was almost like an outpost for the prison and I made a mental note to think more in depth about that when I was safe. And with Daryl, I thought. My only move right now was to find Daryl so that we both could get as far away as possible.

The compound was in one big circle, with the entrance narrower. I had run all along the backside of the circle trying to find a lower point in the barbed wire and stakes. But there wasn't.

I stopped moving and decided that I would have to dig under or go over. They were too smart to allow a piece of their wall to be decrepit enough for someone to easily come in. Or go out.

Staring at the barbed wire, I determined that I would go under it. I tossed my crossbow and the bolts over the 6 foot wire wall. Luckily, they hadn't had enough supplies to properly fasten the wire deep into the ground like it normally would have.

I took Daryl's crossbow, since it was bigger, and propped against my chest and then used it to keep the wire from ripping me open from head to hip. It was slow work but after moving slow and unhooking any catches that the crossbow caught with the wire I was eventually working my legs out from under it.

I had made it, I was on the other side of the wall and as far as I had known, no one knew yet.

Until I heard the feet running right along the fence, using the same path I had just done. I jumped to my feet and hitched Daryl's crossbow up to my shoulder, aiming it right where they would first appear once they came around the bend.

Breathing steadily, I readied myself for my first human murder in months. I hated thinking about so instead I only focused on the cross hairs ready to send the bolt once I saw their face. I couldn't afford to ask questions, and I felt a little guilty with how emotionless I could be. I sent a silent apology to my daddy, asking for him to understand the position I was in. This world required you to be cold sometimes, and right now I had to save myself.

The foot steps came closer and I readied myself, moved my finger to the trigger. One breath in. One breath out.

I saw the outline of their body start to reveal itself, and I took one more breath.

And then I gasped.

"Beth," He breathed out, I barely heard his voice but it was enough.

"Daryl!" My mouth was open, I couldn't believe it. I was still in shock when he started moving towards the fence line right where I had come out. He dropped to his back and started going out just like I had, the fence had been slightly bent so he didn't need the crossbow as much as I had. I kept an eye out around the tents to make sure no one stumbled across us while Daryl was caught underneath the fence.

He made it out from under the fence and grabbed my arm, I bent down quickly to grab the second crossbow and bolts and then followed him into the woods. We didn't stop running for a few minutes, making sure there was a substantial distance between us and them. He slowed down and then turned to me.

"Beth, I'm - " He started to murmur.

"Don't even try an apologize." I hold my hand up to him. "I'm the one that is sorry. I should have fought harder before they knocked me out when they took me."

"They hurt you?" He asked, his eyes blazing.

"Thank you." I whisper back. And I know he understands that it encompasses so much more than just right now.

"C'mon, we gotta get further away." I handed him his crossbow and he grunts in a thanks. I swing mine around and he lifts his eyebrows.

"I had a good teacher once who taught me how to be deadly with a crossbow." I smiled at him and I saw the lift of his lips go up a little. My heart fluttered and I hadn't felt this way since I had been taken.

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**A/N: Let me know what you thought! I will have the next update ready at the beginning of next week :) **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! I hope this is a nice surprise, I got this written and posted a whole 24 hours before I had promised! A little late night Sunday treat! Enjoy! :) **

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Chapter 14:

"Yer walkin' too loud." He mutters somewhere behind me and I roll my eyes slightly.

But I was happy. I was so happy to be back with Daryl, wondering the woods of Georgia (assuming that we hadn't crossed a state line, not that it mattered) just like we had grown accustomed to doing.

Last night, which had been the first night since escaping Jason and Joe's compound, we talked but just a little bit about what had happened.

"I just don't understand," I had whispered to him as we sat around a small fire. I had figured it must have been October or a month around then because the terrible heat had passed and the nights were noticeably cooler.

"What's ta' understand," Daryl growled back. "They drugged ya. They're bastards. Cowardly bastards."

"But I had known Jason, I don't know why he felt he needed to drug me to keep me compliant."

I had heard Daryl sigh quietly, like he was wrestling with an internal decision. A few moments bled through the silence and then he spoke.

"I don' think it was his decision." I understood his hesitation now, he was defending Jason. A little bit. When he caught my confused stare he spoke again. "Jason wasn't the one callin' the shots there. It was tha' asshole Joe. My guess is that Joe had different plans fer' us and Jason spoke up about ya. The bargain was that you could stay but extra precautions needed ta' be taken."

"But what were their original plans then?"

"Ta' kill us." Daryl voiced, without much inflection at all. As though he had simply said good morning.

"We hadn't done anything to them! They kidnapped me in the first place!" My exasperation rang strong in my voice and my anger rose again at those people. At Jason.

"They haven't been that successful and maintained that strong of a compound without securin' its perimeter. We'd been livin' in their area, they watched us, determined our threat level and made a decision. I think they may have thought about a different use for me, but they soon figured out that wasn't gonna happen."

"Take you in as one of their own?" I guessed, and he nodded. He glanced up at me from across the fire and our eyes held together for a few beats. And I knew why that hadn't been an option for him. He wouldn't trade me for a safe compound. I could tell he grew uncomfortable and I spoke to give him an escape.

"So would I also be correct in guessin' that you created a distraction in the compound?"

He dug his foot into the dirt creating a trench of some sort. I had long figured out that Daryl wasn't the kind of person who wanted attention, even if it was congratulatory attention, brought to his actions.

"Yeah, I managed to get a few walkers into the compound."

"How?" I asked incredulously.

"Tossed 'em over the wire."

"Daryl! You could have been bit!" My heart sinks just thinking of him in that situation.

"Broke their jaw, couldn't bite. But caused enough panic inside which is all I needed. And they're pretty light, at least the older ones."

"You couldn't have had better timing. That's what allowed me to get your crossbow back. And snag a few more weapons from them."

"That was smart." He complimented and I smirked in response. I didn't hear his compliments very often which made them even more special.

"Do you think we're far enough from them now?" I asked solemnly. I knew I would never see Jason again and if I did, it may not end well. Despite what he did, Daryl's defense for him made me feel a little better that he didn't make that call and that he had done probably what was needed to keep me alive. He had fallen in with the wrong crowd and there was no going back for him. I had always known, even in the prison, if I needed to choose I would always pick the man sitting right in front of me. I would pick Daryl as a friend over Jason as the boyfriend any day. The drugs had made it difficult for me to stay focused, I had already apologized to Daryl for that and he had scoffed, telling me that blaming myself was stupid.

"Yeah, but we're gonna keep movin' east. Ain't gonna hurt to get as far away from them as possible."

I had remained silent then, just rethinking the conversation and staring at the fire when he spoke again, surprising me that he didn't need prodding.

"I don't understand the leadership there. The prick who brought me in seemed like he was second in command but he didn't act like it. He acted more like a leader, too."

"Maybe they could both be leaders?" I offered, not having any exposure to the man who had brought Daryl into the compound. Though, I hated him already because of that.

Daryl shook his head and dug his foot further into the ground. "No, a place like that needs one solid head. It wouldn't run well with the two of the sharing power."

"I'm not sure then, maybe it won't ever matter now though. If we can get far enough away from them." Daryl grunted in response to my placating. He ended up putting out the fire and we slept across from each other, falling asleep each other's company.

"Beth," Daryl's murmur brought me back to the present.

I heard a foreign crunch of slow footsteps to the right of us and I stopped immediately. I had my crossbow lifted to my shoulder instinctively once he had interrupted my thoughts about last night.

Daryl told me he wanted me to use it more and more so that it would start to become almost a third limb to me. I was glad he was doing that, because it made me feel as though he trusted me to take care of myself. Not only that, but him as well. I'm sure he didn't see it that way, me taking care of him, but he allowed me to scout and kill walkers which meant him not having to dispatch them all the time. He knew I could handle it on my own. And I could.

Finally I could see the noisemaker and it was another walker, just like the rest. One breath in, one breath out. And I sent the bolt.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a head shot. It pinned the walker through the left shoulder into the tree it had been by.

"Dammit," I murmured under my breath and I saw Daryl smirk. I leaned down and pulled my knife out of its ankle spot and went up to finish the job.

Jus like in the prison, I still didn't relish in killing these monsters. Some people don't seem to have an issue with it, like Daryl. But I would think that more people would have issues killing something that is human. Or at least used to be. But I guess it's easier to do so if there is a personal grudge there against the walkers. My daddy was killed by living human beings. My grudge was with them. And sometimes, I would think it would be easier to kill the Governor more than a random walker. Living people make their choices. The walkers did not.

—

"Beth, come 'ere." Daryl softly shouted to me. We had been ambushed by about 10 walkers or so. They seemed to start making herds and I wasn't sure if it was because it was just coincidence or if there was something else going on. Were they evolving? Realizing that walking together in groups was better than walking alone? I doubted it, but the thought still raised in my mind.

Daryl and I worked well as a team and we didn't have any close encounters with any of the 10 walkers as we worked together to kill them but it still was a workout and I was sweating with exertion by the time I was cleaning off my knife and collecting my bolts out of the bodies. I had one head shot out of the four I killed, I was proud of it but a little voice inside me taunted that it was a lucky shot.

When I walked over to Daryl he was using a bolt to move the head of a dead walker, a man in his later years when he had turned probably. Daryl was tilting the head up so that we had a clear view of the neck.

"Shit, it's the ring again." I say to him, kneeling down so that I could see the raw noose-like ring around the neck of the walker.

"You were right about this the first time we saw this. It ain't a coincidence, somethin' is off with these walkers."

"Looks like a noose," I murmur to him and I see him nod in my peripheral vision.

"It seems almost," He begins to say and then pauses for a moment. "Like my huntin' traps."

"You think someone is actually setting traps and not killing them?" I ask, my horror not disguised in the least.

Daryl stands up and I follow his lead. He knocks his bolt onto his crossbow and shrugs his shoulders.

"I guess there's one way to figure it out."

"I thought we wanted to get out of here." But even though my sentence challenges his, I knock my crossbow also ready to go wherever he leads.

"Yeah, but somethin' ain't sittin' right with me. We at least need to know what's goin' on. Don't mean we gotta stick around ta' deal with it."

I nod my head and motion for him to go ahead, he nods back and turns to start on a path. I take a moment to watch the angel wings swish in front of me. How cliche that the man I find to be my personal guardian angel, who watches over me and protects me, actually wears wings. Fitting.

—

"Beth! Run!" Daryl's voice rang to me and I tried to run even faster. I heard him on my heels and was comforted that he was near and stuck behind in the herd. My breath came in short gasps as I urged my leg muscles to be stronger than they have ever been before.

Our running sounded almost rhythmic, the crashing of the underbrush and our breath coming out uneven and hard. I could hear the moans and the clumsy footfalls behind us. It had to be more than 20 walkers that we stumbled upon. They had been eerily quiet, which is why we didn't realize their proximity until we were on top of them.

My heart felt like it was bleeding and my throat was raw. I was looking everywhere, frantic, trying to find us a spot that we could hide and wait out the herd as it passed us. Finally, like a God send, I see an old wooden platform. It looked decrepit but I prayed that it would hold both our weights. It was strung up in a tree, there were crude knocks in the trunk that must have served the purpose to allow the original owner of this platform to get up on it.

My momentum almost had me slam right into the trunk, I started scrambling up the trunk as fast as I could so that Daryl could follow quickly. I felt his hands on my hips, helping me go faster and soon I was far enough up so that he too could start climbing. The moans were getting louder and I worried about how close they were. We needed to get up onto the platform and quiet our breath and stop moving completely so that they wouldn't be able to see or hear us.

I climbed over the lip of the platform and just a few seconds after I saw Daryl climb over as well. Luckily, it was quite large and allowed us both to lay down so that we didn't have to sit and expose our torsos to anyone on the ground. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing in my nose and out my mouth, the best way to calm the heart rate.

The walkers below us prevented my heart from completely calming and the noise they made had me almost in tears. I was strong, but there was something about being within 20 feet of a herd that would surely overwhelm you while you hung just above them that does something to the mind. Without worrying about his bubble, I reach over and grab Daryl's hand. I needed true human contact right now, something that reassured me that I wasn't the only thing living at the moment. I couldn't have conveyed to him the importance it meant to me when he squeezed my little hand in his.

It took about 15 minutes or so for the main part of the herd to pass, and I didn't let go of Daryl's hand that entire time. I kept my eyes closed and just listened. I hoped that this experience made me stronger, a little more resilient. I was hoping that the next time anything came close to mimicking this situation it would take even more to shake my resilience.

When the woods had regained their eery yet somehow comforting silence, Daryl let go of my hand and sat up slowly to peek over the edge of the platform. I waited for him, laying right where I had been. I watched him carefully and after a few moments of his searching he glanced back at me and nodded. I sat up slowly and looked for myself. It was like nothing had happened below us.

"What the hell." I whisper and turn to look at Daryl. "How were they all gathered together?"

He looks exhausted and I wonder how well he had slept the night before. The sun had all but gone down by the time we had escaped the herd and once it had passed. He ran his hand through his long hair, and despite the situation, I felt myself wanting to the same thing.

"We gotta go back ta' where they had been. That's what'll have the answer. Why they were just sittin' there all together like a damn family reunion."

"You outta get some sleep, Daryl. I can take first watch."

"M'fine you go ahead - " He growls back and I cut him off.

"Daryl, I want first watch. Get some rest and we'll check it out first thing in the morning when we can see better. Nothin' we can do tonight." He stared at me for a few moments. And I stared right back.

His eyes were such a deep blue that I could see their color even with the moonlight. His hair hung in front of his face, creating the ironic curtain that he shrouds himself behind from the rest of the world and people. I could see his arm muscles tense as he toyed with the idea of relaxing, they pulsed beneath his t-shirt and vest. Looking at him, I realized all I wanted to do was curl up into his chest and go to sleep.

I had known in the prison that I had had a crush on him, but that was all I was willing to admit. Especially when I hadn't had any purchase with him along those lines and in an effort to protect my own dignity and ego, I told myself it was a passing fling.

But looking at him now, with his staring back at me, I realized with a very strong sentiment that it wasn't a high school crush. What I felt for Daryl was much deeper. And it scared me, because he hadn't given me anything to think that he may have the same feelings, too. It was clear he cared for me. But who was I to say that it was any different than how he cared for Carol or anyone else in the group for that matter? And that stuck me with feeling like the lovestruck portion of this duo and I didn't like it one bit.

I hadn't realized the length of time we had been looking at each other until he cleared his throat and I smiled softly at him, trying to let him know that I understood he needed an out.

"Beth, I - "

"I know. Goodnight, Daryl." I tell him, letting him see that I wasn't wanting anything else from him. I turned my head to stare out over the woods but I could see him still staring at me. He opened his mouth again, but then closed it after mulling over his thoughts. Then he laid down and threw his arm over his eyes.

"Night."

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**A/N: Remember, reviews make me write even faster! Leave some love to encourage the creative juices!**


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